Fun With My Mom in Florida

So over the last 3 weeks, I have had several people come down to visit wonderful me (and I'm sure that the amazing weather that Florida offers up this time of year had nothing to do with it).

The first round of visitors was my awesome mother and her coworker and friend for the last 18 years Barb. I picked them up and the first place I took them was a surprise for my mom. I took her to a building in Clearwater that had been once owned by a bank and then a used car company. In 1996 it had been discovered that in several of the windows a picture of the Virgin Mary had appeared. Here is a picture of it from the late 1990's.


From this, a catholic organization bought the building and it became a place of prayer and reflection. Sadly, in 2004, a young man of 18 smashed out 3 of the upper windows, destroying this apparition of the Virgin Mary. It is still a place for those of faith and my mom had wanted to see it, so that was her first stop of her Florida vacation. When we got there and I explained where we were, she stated that this was the highlight of her trip! I was delighted I was able to take her to see this, but was slightly put off that seeing her most favorite eldest daughter wasn't her highlight! Here is a picture of it on the day my mom was there. As you can see, the after the top windows were destroyed, the image was ruined.


The next day we went to my favorite restaurant on Anna Maria Island which happens to be the Anna Maria City Pier. It is a small restaurant on the end of a 100 year old pier. People fish and cast while others eat and enjoy the live music. You can even feel the entire pier move ever so slightly when you are sitting down enjoying your dinner. My mom and Barb shared a West Coast Steamer pot which is just a large pot with crab, shrimp, corn, celery and carrots in it. They had a good time eating it!


Barb however, got a little messy!


Our next adventure was a wonderful day spent at the happiest place on Earth...Disney World! My mom loves it there and Barb had never been. So we spent an afternoon at Magic Kingdom thanks to my amazing friend Angie. We of course had to get some pictures of this day, and my mom and Barb never let me down with their creative poses. Here are a few.


(Watch out for those wild animals!)


I think it was my mom's goal to find and take a picture of herself in several of the hats that Disney offers it's guest for purchase. Here are 2 of my favorite!



We had a wonderful time there and ended the day with a sunset ride on the ferry back to our car. Here is my mom, Barb and Angie enjoying the peaceful cruise back after a long day.


The next two days were reserved for the sun, surf and sand! We traveled down to one of my favorite beaches and Florida's number 2 best beach, Siesta Key beach. The sand is so soft and white. In fact, it is the purest sand in the world being 99 % pure, ground quartz. Mom and Barb enjoyed the day and my mom even decided to show off her sexy side a bit to the locals!


And to think this picture of my mom was before she and Barb started drinking!



On the way back to my part of the island, my mom and Barb thought they would live it up, and ride home "topless"!
(Warning: This next imagine may have explicit or suggestive behavior that may be damaging to anyone with eyes! View at your own discretion!)





Ha, ha! Did you REALLY think my mom would go topless?! Especially after her vacation started with seeing the Virgin Mary! Made you look though!

Our last day of fun was spent with some new friends we had met. Barb's cousin's live ironically about 10 minutes from me and they own 2 boats and were nice enough to take us out on one for the afternoon. I love being on the water, and now I know where I get it from. From this picture, I'd say my mom feels the same way!


We saw some amazing wildlife and got some great pictures. Here are a few of my favorite.


(These are some beautiful white pelicans which are more rare then the regular pelican that most people are used to seeing.)




The night was capped off with a wonderful dinner at the Beach House where my friend Mitch joined us. I had my second helping that day of soft-shell crab. (It was actually Ash Wednesday, so no meat). And we finished all of our meals off with a gigantic ice cream sundae! Yummy!!



I had a wonderful time with my mom and Barb and all of our friends, new and old that joined us. I miss my mom dearly living so far away, but I know that these memories will forever be with me!

A Hidden Treasure Right In My Own Backyard

Have you ever discovered a hidden treasure right in your own backyard? Well I did just that yesterday. OK, so it wasn't my backyard, instead it was across the street from my apartment complex, but do we really need to get technical? So, I had seen a small path by the entrance to my complex and many people riding their bikes and walking in and out of there, so I thought I would check it out. What I discovered was a wonderful, peaceful paved path that led into a nature preserve.


Now I was thinking, "OK, maybe this will be a nice 1 mile walk and I'll be done with it." Oh no, to my amazement, this little nature preserve was not so little. If you walk the entire thing, you will be on a 10 mile hike. The preserve is named the Robinson Preserve.


It has paved paths, shell covered paths, and if you are really daring, a path that is barely there. There is also a tower in the middle that you can climb up and see for miles. The tower overlooks a Bald Eagle preserve as well.






There are several small off shoots from the main path that take you out to the water on small piers. There is even a few places where there are picnic tables to rest or to fuel up for the remainder of your trip.




One of the trails, named the Tern Trail, is .48 miles out along the Gulf which overlooks the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. This trail I nicknamed the "expert" trail as there really wasn't much of a trail and you constantly had to look out for roots that may trip you and tree branches that may poke you in the face.



There was a slight odor as well walking along this path as it lay about 4 feet from the water. It reminded me a lot of trekking through the woods of the Lemieux "compound". But in all of the years of going through the 150 plus acres that we have, I never remember coming across dead Horseshoe Crabs or rotten coconuts.

While hiking on this particular trail, I couldn't help to think what a prime spot it would be to kill and bury a body and no one would ever know. Funny how thoughts such as that come into one's head while on a peaceful hike. I chalked it up to dehydration as I had prepared for a mile walk, not a 10 mile one.

All in all it was a great discovery and I will for sure be headed back. Perhaps this time on bike though. Here are a few more pictures I took along the way.







**Side note** Upon waking the day after this adventure, my back, butt and legs reminded me very much of my age and the fact that I am completely out of shape. But it was still worth it for the beauty and peace I obtained.

25 Things...

I got this from a friend of mine and was bored, so I though I would do it.

Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you.


1. I'm very shy until I get to know someone. Then watch out!

2. My goal in life is to be on "Saturday Night Live".

3. When I was an athletic trainer I had the chance to work with professional athletes such as: Maria Sharapova, Monica Sellas, Drew Brees, Ladamion Tomilson, Kenyata Walker, Michael Johnson and several others.

4. I prolong death for a living. AKA, I'm a paramedic.

5. I picked up and moved to Florida a year ago. I left all of my family and friends. It really sucks being by yourself at times.

6. I love the beach and ocean.

7. I'm a secret Princess.

8. I don't camp. Camping for me is a hotel room without air conditioning and cable.

9. I have been single for 2 years...and counting. Ugh!

10. I dress right. Meaning I put my right leg into my pants first.

11. I'm a very light sleeper. I love to sleep, but I only get about 3 to 4 hours at a time.

12. When I eat, I eat one thing at a time. I'll eat the meat first, then the mashed potatoes. No mixing.

13. I hate being tall. Why is it that all tall guys like petit girls and short guys like tall girls? I don't want my boyfriend's head at my breasts!

14. I don't believe in exercise. I have seen too many injuries and deaths due to exercising! (Just kidding. I am just too lazy to exercise!)

15. I have dated way too many firefighters in my life. But have you seen them, they are way hot in their uniforms! Maybe I should try dating a cop. They come with their own handcuffs! LOL

16. I have been able to travel to several places around the world. Germany, Austria, Amsterdam, Taiwan, Bahamas, Alaska, Canada and Mexico. I still haven't been to the one place I am desperate to go to... Hawaii!

17. I have 3 tattoos and 7 piercings.

18. I'm missing 2 inches of bone in my right elbow.

19. I want to get bit by a shark. Nothing that will scar me for life or leave me without a limb. Just a little nibble. It would be a great story to tell others!

20. I grew up listening to opera and classical music. My mom used to be a professional opera singer.

21. I'm going to the Pussycat Dolls and Britney Spears concert in March.

22. I have been 29 years old for 3 years. Even though I was born in 1977.

23. I'm the oldest of 3 kids, but the shortest of the 3.

24. I borrow "internet" from those who don't secure their wireless routers.

25. I gained 10 pounds in college when I was taking my anatomy of the human body dissection lab. I always found myself hungry for roast beef after I played with the muscles.

What can I say. I'm a bit on the boring side.

Some Life Lessons I Would Like to Pass On

So In my 29 years of living on this fine Earth (and yes, I have been 29 now for 3 years), I have learned a few life lessons that I would like to pass on to you, my reader (yes, my one reader. "Sniff").

Lesson number 1: There is such a thing as a "bumsicle". According to the Urban dictionary, a "bumsicle" is: A bum who freezes to death on the street. Usually found in the morning frozen solid to his park bench. As in: "The only thing I hate about working in sanitation is having to chip the bumsicles off the dumpsters in the winter." Now I realize this may not be the nicest of terms or the nicest of things to speak about, but I just wanted to point something out that I recently learned. Working for 5 years up in Michigan in the cold of winter, I knew about the problem of the "bumsicle", I mean it gets darn cold up there! But Florida, really? Last week though my belief in this phenomenon which I thought was only limited to the North was proved wrong. I had a patient that was a true "bumsicle"! Now my patient didn't die, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this...I'm not that heartless, but he did make me stop to think a bit. Let me set the scene: 1am, about 50 degrees outside and we are on the property of the county jail looking down into a 20 foot ravine that has a small stream going through it. And what do we find there, but a man, unable to climb up because he was too cold. And why was he too cold? Well besides the fact that he was in the water in the cold of the night, he was also completely naked! The police department figured after he had been released from jail a few hours ago, he went and got his "drink on" then climbed down into the ravine to take a bath! Here is what he kind of looked like.


I really felt bad for the guy, I mean I do have a heart. We tried everything to warm him up on the way to the hospital, with the exception of me using my own body heat to warm him. I'm not that nice! When we got to the hospital, the patient's core temperature was 91 degrees Fahrenheit! A normal temperature is 98.6, so you see he had a slight problem! Brrrr, cold! So what is the life lesson you may be asking yourself? If you need to bathe outdoors, please do so when the temperature is above 70 degrees, or, don't completely strip naked. Just do a little wipe down. That's all I'm saying.


Lesson number 2: You are never too old to still have a crush on your teen idols! In a previous blog I wrote that I was going to the New Kids on the Block reunion tour. It took place 2 weeks ago and let me tell you, I totally felt 13 again! The crowd had changed of course to what I had remembered, no screaming 13-17 year old girls. It was now thousands screaming 30-40 year old women that were beyond horny! And I was right there, screaming along with them! All of the feelings I had for those 5 guys so many years ago came flooding back. However, now as an adult, I knew exactly what those feelings really meant and what I would do with them if I could get them in a room alone for 5 minutes! OK, I may need 25 minutes! So the lesson in this is, let yourself act like you are 13 again every once in awhile! We all live and work in very stressful times, so forgetting about responsibilities and letting yourself dream for a minute is a great thing! Just remember, don't get to caught up in that dream. I learned that lesson the hard way when I had to drive home without my bra, as I had thrown it on stage to one of the New Kids!




Lesson number 3: We have all, at sometime in our life, been a victim of fashion. At the time we may have thought we looked super cool, but when you look back on the pictures later in life, realize that you were wrong. Case and point number 1. A 7 year old white girl should NOT have a Jheri curl! Here is a picture of that horrible fashion trend from the 80's in case you had blocked it from your mind.


Now, here is a picture of me on my 7th birthday! Please, do not laugh too hard...


Have you caught your breath yet? I'm sure when I return from my trip back home for Christmas, I will have many more "bad fashion" pictures from the 80's!
And case and point number 2. Peg rolled pants were NOT cool looking! Neither were colored jeans and white socks!


And you have to just love my pose! I so should have been a model. I mean look how photogenic I am!

So there you have 3 life lessons to take and ponder. This blog will forever be on "to be continued" status, as I know I will remember and learn more as I turn 29 for the 4th time! Perhaps the ultimate life lesson I can share with you is this, remember to laugh everyday. Laughter, I believe, is the best medicine. Hopefully I have accomplished this by having you, my one reader, laugh at how I view life.

You know the old saying about wearing clean underwear?

I'm not sure if any of your mother's ever told you, "make sure and put on clean underwear before you go out in case you get into an accident!"? But mine did. All I have to say is, forget about the underwear, because more then likely if you are in an accident, you will probably soil them during your horrific event, or they will be cut off by the medical professionals. So here is my public service announcement for all of my readers. What you really need to concentrate on is...personal hygiene! What do I mean by this you might ask? Well, let us just say, if it looks like you have "Buckwheat in a headlock" between your legs, you need to let him go!


Seriously, when a paramedic, nurse or doctor is assessing you for injuries, they should not have to find Chewbacca staring back at them!


Believe me, that can be a very frightening experience for someone that is there to help you.

There are many ways to fix this problem. Trimming, combing, tweezing and several different versions of waxing. You have the bikini wax, and if you are really brave, the Brazilian which will not only bring you to tears, but you may even scream out "Yooooooooow, Kelly Clarkson!"



And don't think for one minute that I am directly aiming this advisement toward women, you men are just as guilty. It is not attractive to anyone if you carry around Willy Nelson's beard between your legs! Your "twig and berries" should not be wearing a fur coat!

So that is my rant for the day. I hope you all take my advice to heart and think about the poor people that may be affected by this growing problem in our society. Thank you for your time.

(The views expressed by Lifesurfer is not necessarily those of the host blog site.)

There are some weird people here in Florida!

So, most of you know that I work as a paramedic. I have been doing this now for 6 years and have met some amazing people. However, there are times when you meet people, and you just shake your head and ask yourself, "God must have an unbelievable sense of humor to create someone like I just met!" I'll give you two examples of what I mean.

A couple of weeks ago we got called to a intoxicated man that decided he wanted to go swimming in a pond by his apartment. Sounds like a great thing to do after drinking doesn't it? The police had "fished" him out before I got there, so I didn't get to do any kind of a "water rescue", but we still had to bring him to the hospital because he was too drunk to stay there. As we were helping him to the cot, I asked if he had any ID on him. He told me that he did in his pocket, so my partner went to get it. Now, when you are told that the man you are searching has a wallet on him, and he has a bulge in his front pocket, you would assume it was that wallet that you were looking for, right? Nope. So my partner went to pull out what we thought was a wallet, but instead she pulled out...a soaking box of Mac and Cheese!


Seriously! All I hear is my partner saying, "well that is interesting", so I turned around to look at what she was commenting about. I almost wet my pants when I saw the water logged box. I asked the man why he had a box of Mac and Cheese in his pocket, and he told me calmly, "I was going to make dinner later. I have tuna in the other pocket." That is when I lost it! Who carries Mac and Cheese and tuna in their pockets? And who thinks making dinner after swimming in a pond with your food in your pocket is a good idea? I guess it is true, alcohol really does impair your judgement!

So my next nominee for "the most smartest person in the world" goes to a guy I brought to the hospital just this past week. We had been called out to a house (and I use that word lightly as this "house" was actually a single wide trailer that had been made into a duplex), for an assault. A man, in his mid 40's had told us along with the police, that he had been attacked by his girlfriend. OK, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, well, until I saw his girlfriend. She was about 5 foot nothing, a 100 pounds soaking wet, and did I mention...80! With no teeth! This is kind of what she looked like.


I asked him if he had been gummed to death?! So I helped him to the cot, when I noticed it...the man was wearing...women, lacy panties! I so wanted to ask that burning question, "so is that Victoria's Secret? She sells man panties?", but I didn't. I tried with all of my might to not laugh out loud, and managed to do so, but, I also pointed out these panties to all of the fire fighters that were standing around. I made it to the hospital without incident, and of course thought in my report to the nurse I should point out the panties on my patient. The nurse waited no time in saying, "nice panties, where did you get them?". Again, I lost it! What I didn't expect, was my patient to start this long explanation of why he was wearing the panties. According to my patient, he is allergic to cotton and really likes the soft feel of the silk on his, shall we say, "man parts". I did tell him they make men underwear in silk, but he said he liked the lace on these. Are you serious? I thanked him for at least not going "commando", and walked away. A few minutes later, as I was finishing my report, I heard the patient yell with the top of his lungs, from his room, "I'm allergic to cotton, and I like the way these feel!"

See what I mean, God has a genius sense of humor...and apparently, so do I!

The countdown to...NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK!!

(courtesy www.dose.ca)

OK, now that you have hopefully stopped laughing at the title, I totally have to say that I am now in official countdown mode to the New Kids on the Block comeback tour 2008 which I have tickets for! 2 months baby! I know, I'm a total tool, but let me tell you how much I loved them when I was 13...not only was my entire room plastered in posters so that it literally was New Kids wallpaper, but I had the bed sheets, shirts, hats, buttons, all of their tapes and even one of their dolls! I got the Joey doll because the others were sold out, but he was still hot. My sister's Barbie totally liked him better then gay old Ken! My favorite "Kid" was Jordan. Oh my gosh was he cute! And have you seen him, or really any of the "Kids" lately...um, still hotties!


(courtesy www.boston.com)

Too bad they are all married with kids...and contrary to most people's beliefs back then, non of them turned out gay!

I loved Jordan so much, and I'm totally not kidding about this, but I had his haircut! (And no, no pictures will be posted of this!) But lets just say, short hair and a tail. The tail was a bit of a novelty item as I remember a few friends that were bored in Junior High classes and would braid it.

The New Kids on the Block were my first concert ever when I was 13. I went to the Ionia Free Fair with my mom, a friend of mine, my cousin and her friend. It was just before they really hit it big, but OH MY GOSH were there a lot of people! We at first were really close to the stage, as it was standing room only on the field, but ended up moving back to the bleachers as to not get crushed by the onslaught of screaming teenagers. We ended up so far back, that it was a bit hard telling the "Kids" apart from each other. But, I totally didn't care, because it was awesome! And unlike many people, I never got sick of them when they became "overexposed". I still have like 3 VHS tapes full of interviews that I would tape from the TV. Boy, was I sheltered! LOL

So when I heard the unbelievable news that I never thought I would hear in my lifetime of them going on a reunion tour, I knew I couldn't miss seeing them one more time! And not only are they bringing back all of their classics, but they are recording brand new music so new generations of people can enjoy them.

So the concert that I am attending is here in Tampa on November the 2nd, and I still don't know what I'm going to wear! I was going to see if my dad had any of my old shirts or hats from almost 20 years ago, but thought better. My dad likes to pack everything in moth balls, and that is totally not how I want to smell when I see my "Kids" again! I opted not to buy the most expensive tickets, only because I'm a paramedic and live paycheck to paycheck. But the seats are not that bad, and I was smart and bought 2 tickets. 1 for me, and one for whomever I can "force" into going with me. So I asked my work partner/friend if she wanted to go with me. Now, sidebar about this girl...Shannon likes the same kind of music that I do for the most part, and we have a great time when we hang out, but she is 23! So, when I was 13 and enjoy the New Kids for the first time, she was 5! So needless to say, she isn't as into them as I am. So we will see who I can end up getting to go with me. But, if it comes to it, I'll totally go by myself!

So after November 2nd, watch out for a post concert blog, and I will have pictures! I'm such a tool, but I don't care!