The one where I see my ~not so secret~ boyfriend for the thousandth time.

It's pretty well known that I have a long distance love affair with Dave Matthews. Well, it's usually long distance except when he's in our state. Then it's just a distance love affair minus the LONG.
Dave was on the East coast again and we had plans to see him with our friends.

My husband is the best. He knows about my other boyfriend, but he's such a strong and confident man, that he's ok with it. Plus, I know all his passwords and I hold the key to the bank safe deposit box.

It was such a great show! We've not been able to attend in a few years, so it was sweet to be reuinited for a night. 

Our faves Kelly and Don have a VIP box and it's nice to have real seats, food and drink delivery. No crowded riff raff seats for us spoiled people. 

BUT we can still smell ALL the MaryJane. What is it with middle aged people and the pot?

I'm not exagerrating when I say that I woke up  in the middle of the night and all I could smell was POT.  It was imbedded in my nostrils.  I'm sure I'm down several brain cells after every DMB concert we attend. We actually look like we have a contact high in that pic up there.

We brought Callie with us this weekend to Don and Kelly's and she made herself at home. She took over Milo's (the cutest boxer boy ever) bed.

Milo didn't make a fuss...he let the old lady have his bed and he just rested his face on the ottoman. Ya know, sometimes your face gets heavy.

He's so sweet and funny. He really makes us miss our boxers. *sigh*
Maybe one day.

All in all it was an excellent weekend with excellent people, excellent dogs and some pot.

I hope you had a fun weekend too, whether you were high or not.
XOXO

Ingesting the good herbs {I rue the day!}

I'm sure you remember a few weeks ago when I found my first swallowtail caterpillars on my overgrown fennel. I mean, what else could you have been thinking about all this time?
Well, I raised and released about 8-10 of those beauties. They're so different from monarchs; very unpredictable. My Monarchs, in chrysalis form, cook for only 9-10 days.


Eastern black swallowtail chrysalis-they look like mini alligators, because Florida. They create their own 'girdle/sling' that holds them at a desired angle. Nature is cra-cra!

Some of the swallowtails took 10-20 days to become butterflies, but I still have several in chrysalis form.
They could be like that for over a year.
A YEAR. 
I'd never heard of such a thing. They come out when they want....like they have NO schedule whatsoever.
Just willy nilly with this beginning of life thing.
As if I have nothing else to do but wait around for them. I have THINGS to do.
I liken it to those 35-year-olds living with Mom and playing Xbox for a living.
Grow up and get out there.

Anyhoo, I wasn't finding many more swallowtail cats on my fennel, so I ran to my local nursery (not Lowes or HD because they use pesticides on ALL plants, even herbs and for that I hate them) to get some parsley, dill, and rue. Swallowtails love those herbs. They might like the Mary Jane herb too, but I'm not going there.
I'm still flying my Blue Line flag in the front yard y'all, as well as obeying the law.
Well, most laws. Is it against the law to floss your teeth while driving? Asking for a friend.
Wait, what was I saying?
Oh-I found a few nice parsley plants and rue. Honestly, who uses rue? I've never had anything with rue in it in my life, but I bought the cute little plant to attract some beauties. And also, now I can pick up the plant and spout out: I RUE THE DAY I MET YOU!
I really wish I'd been offered drama class in high school.

The plants sat on my garage counter for a few days before I took them outside. I don't even bother putting these types of things in the ground now as the caterpillars will eat them so quickly and then I put the devoured potted plants (mostly milkweed) that are down to the nubs on the screened lanai so they can recover and swap them out again. It's a whole song and dance with me, which is how I get most of my cardio.
So when I went to deposit these newest plants outside, I realized they already had eggs and some larvae on them. I got a two-fer. They came with swallowtail caterpillars and I didn't have to wait for the Mama Swallowtail to come to lay eggs; I had a head start.
WINNING.

This baby is probably 5-6 days old here. 

And then it happened. I had a realization. I get them every once in a while.
My jaw dropped when I put it all together.

I bought a parsley plant that had butterfly babies on it.
How many times in our lives have we eaten dill, parsley and (one of you) rue and we (you, me, JoeBob and BettyLou) have unknowingly eaten an egg or caterpillar? How many times do you think?

I'm thinking at least 43 times.

I know for sure I've felt butterflies in my belly THAT many times and now it alllll makes sense. 
How about you? Butterflies in your belly? Beuller? Beuller?  It's all the rue, boo. 


XOXO

You just can't talk to insects like you used to.

Yesterday as I was getting into my car to leave I noticed a lizard near the garage door.

ME: Dude, you'd better scat or you're gonna get run over. 

*crickets*

DUDE.

I motioned my foot in his direction to 'shoo' him out and he decided to become a hitchiker. 

I couldn't get him off, so I walked him out to the sidewalk.

Dude, I gotta GO. 

*lingers*

Really, I've GOT to go!

*lingers longer*

Why do I even bother talking to you?

Reality hits me and I look up to see if anyone noticed I was having a conversation with my leg lizard.

*sigh* 

I wondered if this was my Jesus lizard reincarnated; that would be super cool and not nerdy at all. 

Good lawd, I just remembered that lizards aren't even insects; they're reptiles. 

No wonder he was ignoring me. 

I don't even know what it would feel like to be a normal person. 

I'm a good one.

I like to update my chalkboard plate seasonally during the year.
I found this quote {Abraham Lincoln gets the credit} the other day and I found it to be fitting with where my brain has been lately.

I had a friend in the past who was all about her career; which isn't bad, but she occasionally tried to make me feel inferior because I chose a different path.  I know, I know, someone can't "make you feel" a certain way, but you know what I mean; the 'digs'.
And no, we are not friends any longer, turns out she was a fraud in most aspects of her life.

BUT, there have been times in my life that I did feel 'less than' because I didn't have a college degree or a fabulous career. Beauty school was where I landed and mostly out of convenience; my friend who lived with my dad and I had a car and was going to beauty school after High school and I had no vehicle or college options. College wasn't even discussed in my home. Ever.

But, I did always know I wanted to have a family and to be a Mom.
And I think I did that pretty darn well. The Coach and I raised two amazing humans.
I remember when the girls started school and friends/family would ask if I were going back to work.
I thought I would.
Turns out, my time was best served at home and volunteering; PTA, Girl Scouts, etc. And it still is.
The best part is the Coach supports whatever I want to do and he likes that I'm able to take care of all the stuff he would have to do if we were both working full time.
House stuff. Bills. Gardening. Shopping. Errands. Critter care. Etc....

So, at almost 52 I finally feel confident that I'm the best version of myself doing what I enjoy.
I'm a good homemaker.
I'm a good wife.
I'm a good Mom.
I'm a good friend.
I'm a good human.
I'm a good nature lover.
I'm a good butterfly raiser.
I'm a good daughter.

Honestly, I could replace good, with GREAT. But I don't want to dis ol' Abe.

I'm pretty sure most people at some point struggle with life choices. It's human nature.

Anyhoo. Thanks for listening.

XOXO

Bee happy
Bee a good human
Bee content

The one where Lolo turns 26.

My favorite firstborn daughter turned 26 on Saturday.
I'm not even kidding when I say: That escalated quickly!
When your babies are babies, older people warn you that it goes by fast, and unlike the old adage of walking uphill backwards through the snow to school,  they weren't exaggerating.

Lolo was such a ball of energy. ON.THE.GO. Nonstop toddler action.

I thought I might lose my marbles and declared that she would be an only child. 

Thank goodness someone had other plans because I can't imagine only having one girl; in hindsight, I wish we had ONE more because the first two turned out so well. 

She's always been a smart and silly girl, even now. 

This will be a big year for her.
She's officially retired from Law Enforcement. (Thank you Baby Jesus!)

She'll be moving to VA next month to start her Master's program in Forensic and Legal Psychology. 
She really doesn't know where that will lead her because the program has a lot of opportunities for internships and careers within organizations such as the FBI, NCIS, ATF, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 
We are beyond excited for her. 

We celebrated her with a nice family dinner this weekend; of course, we all missed little Sister Lindsay. (one more week till she's home from New Zealand!)

Lolo is such a cutie AND so smart I can hardly stand it. 

Please tell me you also save pictures on your phone that your daughter texts to you when you ask, what are you wearing?  She can rock a jumpsuit.

I've realized I won't die if she's 15 hours away. 
*fingers crossed*

Wishing our Lolo a wonderful 26th year!

Bee sweet
Bee a doer
You CAN be kind, cute and intelligent at the same time. 

XOXO

I didn't mean to be this much work. And what's the opposite of an anti-vaxer? That's me.

Getting older has been a lot of work. Maintenance, if you will. 

I already had my hand/leg veins done a few years ago. 

I've had a few facial peels in my time.

But now I go regularly for dermaplaning....oh how I love to have someone take a razor blade to my face. 

I strength train 3x a week at the gym.

I had laser vision surgery. (I still have excellent eyesight)

I have my teeth cleaned 3x a year. 

I get mani's-pedi's on the regular as well as getting my hair did. 

I finally bit the bullet this year and had my big toes rid of the chances of ingrown toenails...those were a b*tch to deal with and I'm happy to say I've had none since then. 

Wow. Now that I write all that, I'm a lot. 

But, I'm guessing other women my age are doing all this maintenance too. I know the Coach is very limited in his maintenance, but I don't think he's worried about his skin tone or very close veins as I am.   

Turning 50 has been so much fun though because you get to add in all the medical stuff too.

I'm already faithful to my lady Dr. who smears me yearly and flattens my breasticles into pancakes. 

But she kept telling me I needed a colonoscopy and the shingles vaccine.

Well, that doesn't sound fun. 

But, I was so wrapped up in getting my first dental implant and traveling that I put those two things off until this year. (the implant was a 6-month process)

I finally conceded and had the colonoscopy and it wasn't as horrible as I'd imagined. 

I wasn't going to skip the shingles vaccine though. I got the chickenpox on my 29th birthday and I've never been so sick in my life and I wasn't taking any chances since they're in the same fam-damily. 

So about 6 months ago I went to my favorite pharmacist and asked for the shingles vaccine and I actually had to wait a few months because it's in demand. 

See, I knew I was doing the popular thing. 

Anyhoo, when it was finally available, I did my grocery shopping, then popped in front of the pharmacy with my bags of fuel and just before she gave me my shot she said: I'm sorry, but this WILL hurt and you might feel crappy tomorrow. 

Dang. No foreplay with this lady. 

She wasn't kidding. It stung and I felt a bit lightheaded for a few minutes.

The next day I woke up pretty achy and my arm hurt pretty bad. Later in the afternoon, I felt like I had the flu. Luckily, I didn't need to be anywhere that day, so I took it easy and laid around.

I lived. I was all better the day after.

You have to get a second dosing 3-6 months after the first and I went back this week for my second. I planned to do this on a day where I had no obligations the next day, just in case. 

I found out that I was also due for my tetanus and my Measles. (MMR)

I said, well, why not?

I could only get two vaccines at once because I only have 2 arms. Lucky octopus's. 

I opted for the shingles and the tetanus. 

As she's about to stab me this time, she says: The tetanus is known to be really painful for a few days.

Does she have anything nice to say?

So, that was Monday. I felt a bit achy yesterday and both arms were hurting. 

Today, I'm much better. I was able to have a great workout at the gym and I'm happy to know I'll be shingle-free for life. (fingers crossed) Also, if I happen to sit on a pair of rusty scissors, I'll be in the clear. (you cringe, but I did that back in the day-my skinny little thigh!) 

Double battle wounds for Suz.

I'm trying to figure out what's next.

Cataracts?

No, we don't have cats anymore...just our Callie dog. 

Anyone else struggling to try to keep up with your health/beauty/time? 

Bee healthy

Bee proactive

Bee good to yourself

It's {mostly} all butterflies and sunsets.

A few weeks ago I was in TJ Maxx looking for a gift and I found something for myself. It's kind of sad how often that happens. I saw this sterling silver butterfly ring and it practically FLEW out of the case and into my paws. 

 And in real butterfly news, I had a few more Easter Black Swallowtails eclose from their chrysalis this week. And, they matched my nail color. Well, isn't that special? 

We've been getting out on the boat and enjoying it as much as possible. The Coach has had a standing 'fishing date' each week and he's really loving it. Summer in Florida is HOT, but it's also wet. We have daily showers that usually include lightening so you have to plan accordingly. 

(Clockwise) Sunset from the boat, sunset at the beach, going out on the boat to see the fireworks, Fireworks from the boat. 

We had a great few days around the July 4th holiday. I hope you enjoyed yours as well. 

****

Lolo is getting ready for her big move to start graduate school full time. She has officially left her job as the cutest POPO on the planet and I'm sleeping better already. Now I just have to worry about Nathan(her BF). And all the other good police officers.

Speaking of good people.
A few weeks ago we had our employee/company picnic and both of the girls were able to attend.
It was nice to have the four of us together even for a few hours. Right now Linds is in New Zealand (SO far away!) for a few more weeks and then Lolo and I will be heading to VA to set her up in her new life. We've never lived that far apart and I just hope I don't die.

Please tell me I won't die.

XOXO

Bee safe.
Bee sweet.
Bee a person who survives change.

UnBelizable {round two} The one where I swam with sharks

How about an impromptu trip to Central America to rile up your week?
We've been there before and it was so good, we went back. The owners of the private Island had a last minute cancellation and contacted the Coach to see if we wanted it at a discounted rate.
We had 2 days to decide on a trip out of the country just 9 days away.
We've been trying to live in the moment and do as much as we can these days, so it was a YES.

A mere 2-hour flight from Miami to Belize City, then a 40-minute helicopter ride to the island itself.
Feeling a bit like James Bond minus the martini and Hallie Berry on the helicopter ride over the Belize barrier reef.

The water is like nothing else I've ever seen, and I've seen some water.

 The island itself is only 1/2 an acre. This pelican pretty much lived in these two trees an ate like a pelican king day and night on little fish.

Our friends T.W and Melissa joined us this time and I think they had a great time. The staff pretty much had to evict them on the day of our departure. :)

We stayed for four nights and let's talk about relaxation. All of our meals were prepared for us. The beds were made. The laundry was done. There were massages. There was chilling. There was paddleboarding around the island. The boys went fishing for a few hours and caught around 100 fish. I read an entire book. There was Jenga, checkers, and corn-hole.

Cocktails in the pool.

Coach. AKA, the Jenga King

 One day we were taken on a boat ride about 6 miles away to a national park. I didn't even know you could have a national park IN THE OCEAN. Blew my mind.
Anyhoo....as soon as we anchored the boat and prepared to snorkel this huge Hawks Bill turtle came up and greeted us. He hung out for quite a while and then circled back later on. Apparently, he was looking for a scoobie snack.

If you know me at all, you know I'm a nervous ninny when it comes to swimming in the ocean. 

Did you know there are lots of fish in there? They freak me out. I honestly get freaked out in the pool if my suit ties hit my back or leg, just know a fish is going to eat me. 

But, I sucked up my fears and donned the snorkel gear. The water was just too darn crystal clear. The coral and colorful fish that I saw were well worth overcoming my fears. Just breathtaking.

Then, I saw my first of (many) nurse sharks. 

Have you ever seen a nurse shark while swimming? I only knew it was the nurse kind because of the little white hat with the red cross on it.  

Even though I was told they only NIBBLE you, I thought my snorkeling time had been well spent PRIOR to getting a nibble from a nurse. So, after my 20 minutes in the water, I doggie paddled all the way back to the boat. 

Once in the boat, the turtle came back to see if we'd changed our mind on giving him a snack. Ummm NO. 

As did 3 nurse sharks who hung out near/under our boat for quite a while. They were not huge, maybe 4-5 feet each. That's 4-5 feet more than I'm comfortable with. 

But, I was glad that I did this. I'm a big girl, give me a big girl gold star!!

When we were back home in the reality that no one was going to prepare us a gourmet meal and I actually HAD to walk to my washing machine to clean the clothes, we were both a bit pouty about it . 

So sad. But so happy to have had the time to make some more fabulous memories and not to have been eating by a shark. It was an UnBelizable experience.