Sometimes the Universe Speaks to Me

Sometimes the Universe Speaks to Me....


Actually I imagine the universe speaks to all of us a lot. But we don't hear. Or don't listen. And then the universe, just like a mom that's been ignored after she has asked for the umpteenth thousand millionth time for someone to please pick up their shoes N.O.W., loses it and screams.

And then I think "Wow! Wise words from the Universe!"

This happened on Friday. The Universe screamed.

If you read my last post, it was a recap of my last month or so. Moving, packing, cleaning, more packing, more cleaning, more organizing kids and dogs and things and more and more and more. All while working almost full time and living life. And signing contracts because THE HOUSE SOLD!!!  I should wait to scream that until the option period is over because I know very well that sold houses often don't stay sold, but I feel fairly positive about this one.

Anyway, after all that running around I had a pretty quiet week where I just worked and signed paperwork and did normal stuff.  My day off on Thursday was non stop with errands, lunch with a friend (at The Dunlavy, my review here) and completing No. 94 followed by taking my mom to her former assisted living place for Casino Night.

A little blurry but of course we had to hit the photo booth.

I have so few pics of me and my mom together. 

Trying to rectify that. 

I had plans to go to Austin on Saturday morning to see friend Ann. Just a quick trip, up Saturday and back on Sunday. See Melissa Etheridge on Saturday night. I knew that didn't allow for any down time, but Melissa Etheridge...  That sounded too good to pass up. And I can have down time when I'm dead.

And then the Universe said "Nope. You need to stay home and just chill."   (Sadly, it didn't suggest Netflix and Chill which would have been more fun.)

How did the Universe tell me this?  Letters written across the sky? A phone call? Nope.

An email from Visa asking me if I had just spent $406 at Target.

Well, of course not. If I was shopping at Target I would have used my Target card. Five percent off.

So I checked my wallet and realized "O yea, that Visa is in the change purse in the car. In my beautiful Kate Spade handbag on the floor in the back seat. Where it has been since I switched purses last week."

You see where this is going?

I walk out to my car to find broken glass and a hole where my back window used to be. The beautiful Kate Spade is gone along with my favorite little pewter cross body that was just the best little all purpose bag.

This isn't how the window is supposed to look.

The Kate Spade had the change purse that had some gift cards (bye...) and my Visa (bye...) and some Loyalty cards (bye...) and who knows what else. There were probably some crumpled Target receipts in there, a few lipsticks and some Advil.  Really I don't know what else. The pewter cross body was
empty.

That little pewter cross body was the perfect size.

It held an iPhone, sunglasses, money AND a brush.

Sigh. 

It was upsetting to see the hole where the car window should have been, but the loss of the purses is what really makes me sad. I bought that Kate Spade as a birthday present to myself when I turned sixty. It elevated everything. I constantly got compliments on it. I constantly got compliments on what I was wearing when I carried it. ("Great outfit!"  Really? I have on jeans with holes, a v neck t shirt and Vans BUT I'm carrying a good handbag. Honestly. It was the bomb.)

Me and Kate.

Yummy leather, big enough for an iPad. 

It's rare for me to find a bag I really love. 

So that was my scream from the Universe. Weather forecast for the weekend was rain. Lots of it. Couldn't get the car to the insurance appraiser until Monday.

That black stuff used to be my window.

You need to stay home. That's what the Universe said.

So I did. Taped my car window up with plastic. And put the car in the garage.

Can we say "Ghetto"?

Friend Cherrilla says maybe my car just has bad juju.

I think she's right.

And Saturday?? I slept in until 11am. Eleven. In the morning. An hour before Noon. I did not get dressed until 3:00pm.

The Universe knew what it was talking about.

Stay home.

Chill.


(And I have already ordered myself a replacement bag. Not the same, but hopefully as wonderful. Maybe better?! We shall see.)

Does the Universe ever talk to you?

No. 63: Another New Restaurant

No. 63: Another New Restaurant

A couple of weeks ago when the fire near the cabin got scary bad, I left town. Spent the night in Denver and then met friend Monica in Colorado Springs for the day. Monica and I met when we both had horses at the same barn. Sadly, the horses are gone but thankfully the friendships remain.
She was up from Texas escaping the heat, I was in the Springs to see her and drop off the stupid Mercedes again. 
It needed to have its repairs repaired. 
Yep, you read that right. 
Bunny hit a deer in my car (um, and her car) back in November but I didn't get it fixed until June. When I picked up the car from the body shop, the hood was so catty whompus the guy parked next to me asked if I was just dropping my car off. Um, no. They've had it for ten days and this was the best they could do. So, back to the body shop affiliate in the Springs and they did a slightly better job in slightly less time. I'm still not 100% happy. But then again, it's the Mercedes. I doubt I'll ever be happy. One problem after the other. 

Anyway.
Monica met me at the Broadmoor Resort, one of the loveliest hotels around. The fam stayed there once a million years ago and it was delightful. It also happens to be Monica's favorite hotel in the Springs and we had lunch reservations at the Broadmoor's newish restaurant Restaurant 1858 at Seven Falls.

Walking up to the Broadmoor.

It is soooo pretty. *

The Broadmoor has a bit of a scam going with this one. To get into the restaurant, you have to buy a ticket to the Falls. Since neither one of us had seen Seven Falls before, that was ok, but still....

Also, there is no parking at the Seven Falls area, you must take a shuttle from the hotel.  That's all well and good but the restaurant called Monica's Texas phone and left a message that they would be opening later, something we didn't find out about until we got to the hotel. (Because, duh, we were in Colorado.)  Then the shuttle ran late so we finally arrived at the restaurant over an hour past our original reservation time. That means we spent quite a bit of time sitting at the shuttle stop.

                  

I made a new friend!

No worries, they still fed us!

Seven Falls is gorgeous. One big waterfall, 181 feet high, with seven distinct drops.  You can climb the 224 steps to the top or do what Monica and I did- ride the elevator up midway. That enabled us to skip 185 steps. We didn't do the last 39 steps.  And taking this info off of the Seven Falls website, I find it hard to believe we just skipped 39 steps. It looked like a WHOLE BUNCH more than that to the top.

My unprofessional pic of the falls. 

You can see the 7 drops though.

At the base of the falls is Restaurant 1858. It takes its name from the gold rush era. Although the Gold rush started in 1848, the restaurant went with a date ten years later. Who knows why?! I'm just repeating what their website said.
The restaurant is decorated in an old west Colorado theme and the food is fresh and locally sourced when possible.

Inside 1858.

We sat on the right. *

Monica's hamburger was grass fed beef. My nachos (hey, it's been a while since I've had any Mexican food-I had a hankering) were enormous. The food was great. The company was greater. 

It was a wonderful day spent with a dear friend. The restaurant was good but not one I would need to go back to.  The falls are beautiful but no more so than much of the free scenery in Colorado.


But it was an experience, and that's the whole point of my 60x60 list. 

* photos from their website

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As promised, Prom

As promised, Prom.

Last Saturday night was prom for Bunny.

She's a Junior but the school has a Junior/Senior prom.  And her friend boy was a Senior last year, but he didn't go to prom. Much to Bunny's (and his mom's) dismay.

And somehow my girls have elevated prom to Cinderella-level Ball status.

The dress required multiple trips to Denver for shopping and alterations.

Shoes were stolen from sister over Spring Break.

Earrings were borrowed from my jewelry box.

The day of the dance we drove 2 hours to Colorado Springs in order to get hair and make-up done.

Two hairdressers, 45 bobby pins, 2 hair pins and one rubber band.

The results were worth it, I think.

All dressed up and someplace to go.

Dinner had been planned at one of the local restaurants. Except. Dinner was also supposed to be outside on the restaurant patio. Remember? We had 30" of snow on Thursday. The patio was cold and damp.

And all the prom dresses were pretty bare.

Dinner was rescued by the elementary school principal. He opened up the elementary to all the high school kids. Pizza was ordered, parents brought salad and decorations, tables were set up and dinner was served. Only in a small town. I can no more imagine that scenario happening in our Texas school district* than I can imagine.... what? I can't even think that crazy. Dancing hippos in tutus? Carlos flying airplanes? Me winning the lottery?
But, just like in Texas, the parents were swarming like paparazzi, snapping pictures left and right.

Kids and parents in the elementary school library.

Look at the view out that window.

Lucky books. 

And while Bunny was begging, borrowing and stealing from her family, her date was doing the same.

Somehow he managed to convince his grandpa to loan him his very expensive, very fast, very beautiful car for the evening. (This is a kid who maybe has been known to get a speeding ticket or two.)

I believe Mercedes could hire these two for an ad.

This is my favorite pic of the night. 

Or maybe this is my favorite. 

Aren't they adorable? 

And now, the realization.

Next year will be the last prom at our house.

Not sure I can handle this...............

*I say I cannot imagine it happening in our Texas school district because  of bureaucracy. Not because the principal might not think it was the right thing to do, although they probably wouldn't think of it at all. But because it would need to be cleared with the district and it wouldn't technically be a school function and then there is liability and who pays for the electricity to use the place and janitors, etc.   But here, everyone knows everyone or someone who knows someone else and parents stepped up and a few phone calls can work out the logistics over a course of a couple of hours.