And a good evening to you from across the Pond after two AMAZING days back home. It is SO GREAT to be with friends and family again! Sorry for no blog last night, but as will soon become apparent, that was just not feasible (I know, I know...you can already guess why).
So we started Saturday with some great coffee (Santa's White Christmas - ah how much I've missed half and half!) and a Canada Implementation conference call (breakfast of champions). 75 minutes of discussion on Canadian retirement and associated taxation codes later, I was ready for a trek into the wilds of American shopping malls (insert chill running down my spine here).
On the drive out, I had a FANTASTIC "Welcome to America" bumper sticker. As we prepared to turn onto Providence, I noticed a truck in front of us had the slogan "It is the RESPONSIBILITY (completely in red for emphasis) of ALL Americans to be armed and ready at ALL times." As I digested this fabulous nugget of wisdom, he mashed the gas, at which point I noticed his license plate - SHOOTER. Only in America, ladies and gentlemen. But that's why I love this country - you won't see that on any Smart cars in Chelsea!
Shopping was great. Jenny bounced from store to store, REVELING in the fact that, after 6 months of paying through the nose for everything, we were finally converting stuff to POUNDS! Target felt like a half-off sale! With this profound sense of calm, muffin puffin RACKED UP. And I am happy to report that she looks more stylish than ever.
After a successful run of shopping, we came home about 5 PM, where Jan treated us to a FANTASTIC ham dinner. We then cleaned u
p and headed uptown, where we kicked off a GREAT night.
p and headed uptown, where we kicked off a GREAT night.Since there were so many folks we wanted to see and just not enough time in Charlotte, GC and Melissa Robinson graciously offered to host us at their place. We rolled up there about 8 PM, where a LONG AND EXTRA AWESOME night started with a bang.
Picture walking into a condo filled with Kanye, Fat Tire, and some GREAT friends that you've haven't seen in ages. Throw in some shots of tequila, a SHITZOO (Wags, that's for you) drinking Sweetwater, and all the Fat Tire you can drink, and you've got a recipe for success. But wait...there's more!!!
Notice the bottle that Melissa (the gal on the far right) is holding. That, my friends, is a bottle of homemade apple wine from 1978!!! That's right - this stuff is OLDER THAN MY WIFE. And let me tell you - that stuff packed a punch. Given that the cork was rotten and fell into the winer, we had to strain it WITH A COFFEE FILTER. After having tasted it, I can confidently say 2 things:
1) Don't smoke around this stuff - it might lead to the next Chernobyl.
2) Always carry some in your car when driving through Death Valley. In the event you run out of gas, this should DEFINITELY carry you to about Vancouver.
It was SO GREAT to catch up with folks, and the evening FLEW by. However, it didn't hit light speed until about
2 AM, at which point we discovered the joys of "Rock Band - World Tour." WOW - dudes, if you haven't tried this, you're letting the best in life just pass you by - OUT OF CONTROL!!!!
2 AM, at which point we discovered the joys of "Rock Band - World Tour." WOW - dudes, if you haven't tried this, you're letting the best in life just pass you by - OUT OF CONTROL!!!! So we stayed up until 4 AM playing this, at which point we were about to pass out (and I was hoarse from trying to cover "Livin' on a Prayer"). That thing was SO MUCH fun!
5 hours later, we were back awake and en route to Panera, where we grabbed the usual (that would be 3 asiago cheese bagels, 1 tub of sun-dried tomato cream cheese, and a large cup of Hazelnut coffee) before rolling back home. We then hit the mall again, where we CLOSED DOWN THE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING - BOOYAH!!!
Then it 
was home for wrapping, where I recharged my batteries with the nectar of the gods. I would tell you what it was, but then again - you already know, don't you...
was home for wrapping, where I recharged my batteries with the nectar of the gods. I would tell you what it was, but then again - you already know, don't you...We're now about to settle down and watch the Carolina Panthers throttle Farve and company at Bank of America Stadium. Come on, boys! Put the Vikings DOWN!!!!
Back to work tomorrow - it's GO TIME for Canada - time to get my game face on!
That's all the news that's fit to print. Chat tomorrow!
Love,
Sam and Jenny
Just to be clear, Shit zoo is two words. I'm dead serious! :) Had a great time with you guys too.
ReplyDelete~Wags