Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Fess on A Shelf

So there is popular the Elf on the Shelf. And it seems this Elf gets into all kinds of mischief. As much as I laugh at the Elf's antics I'm not gonna lie, that Elf freaks me the hell out. He is creepy. I'm sorry but he is. I have issues. I know this. (He scares me! CREEPY!!) Anyways, Fess gets herself into mischief too. This is everyday real life for her. The events that occur are real. So....Fess is going to do her own rendition of Elf on the Shelf. Some catchy names were suggested such as Fess is a Mess, Fess is two inches too tall to be an ELF and is bitter, Fess is really an Elf, Fess in a Box & MILF on a Shelf (LMFAO want to try and keep it at least PG-13 but thanx.). I'm just going to go with Fess on a Shelf. And The Fess on a Shelf is named Chrissy. Chrissy is not reporting anything back to Santa cuz he already knows how she is and feels really sorry for her two kids. I am sure the grown ups are going to be able to relate to some of these things. Let the Countdown to Christmas begin!

#1
The Fess on a Shelf has issues with Christmas lights that work one minute, then after she hangs them, decide not to work. Hedge clippers take care of this problem. Now they will NEVER work! Hahaha!!

Fess On A Shelf
Take that mutherfuckers!!

# 2
Fess on a Shelf found the secret stash of Johnnie Walker Black at her parents. Oh snap! She is like a bloodhound. She can sniff out concealed premium alcohol within a 30 mile radius.  3 shots in...... let's go put up the tree. Yippee!!!

Fess On a Shelf
You can't go wrong with a little Johnnie Walker ...or a lot! 


# 3
Fess on a Shelf perhaps learned that cows are not the only things that can be tipped and really had the tree fall on her. LMFAO! Then.... because it was so heavy, she had to have her mommy pick the tree up off of her cuz both she and the tree were a little too tipsy thanx to Johnnie Walker.

Fess On a Shelf
The tree was seriously falling on me again.


Fess on a shelf
Trying to look pretty when a tree is falling on you while holding the creepy Santa your mom gave you is not an easy task. Just sayin.....
Fess on a shelf
My mommy had to lift the tree off of me cuz I was hammered. 


# 4
Fess on A Shelf may have allegedly broke the dishwasher when a random piece of saran wrap from Thanksgiving leftovers got inadvertently stuck to a dish and perhaps melted and plugged up the jets. The crime scene has been sealed off until further investigation has been completed. In the meantime washing dishes by hand is pretty much gonna suck. WTG Fessler!


Fess On A Shelf
I break things. A lot of things. 


# 5
Fess on a Shelf may have accidentally drank the ENTIRE box of wine she bought to make Apple Cider Sangria gifts with Shannan and Ang this weekend. Now she has to go buy another one. Houston.....we may have a drinking problem.

Fess On A Shelf
This may happen more than I care to admit. 


# 6
Fess on a Shelf broke up with her scale today. It was being naughty and flashing all kinds of mean things at her on it's digital screen. It wasn't a pretty break-up either. Words were thrown, tears were cried, fingers were flipped. It got pretty violent. One of them may have even been thrown in the garbage can a few times. Perhaps one day they will rekindle their romance, however, today is definitely NOT that day. Go ahead and have another cookie crybaby. Tis the season for elastic waistbands.


Fess On A Shelf
I hate my scale!! It tells lies! 


Yea....Fuck You scale!!


#7
Red Cat. Kitty Cat. Fess on A Shelf Cat? Not decorating the tree because watching Unstoppable and playing with the cat is more fun. All I need now is a puppy, some chicken wings and whiskey. 
BTW, There is a lot of pussy in this picture. Just sayin.........

How did they expect me to decorate with so many distractions!!


#8
Fess on A Shelf may have issues working her mother's camera (she totaled her own camera in a drunken incident at the NY Winefest) and also had to take a selfie because her kids are too "busy" to take mom's picture every five minutes so do not mind the photo quality. Anyways, USCS Hazy will have one less goodie from Fess for the cookie exchange because she spent the money on Farmer's Ice Tea instead. I mean hello? It was on sale. 2 for $4.00. Scored five of these babies although my big hair is covering one of them. I do love a bargain, especially when it is on one of my addictions. Farmer's Ice Tea is the original crack of Hazleton!

Hazy Ice Tea....the original crack. 


#9
While everyone else is cleaning their sidewalks, Fess on A Shelf goes outside, watches her neighbor shovel for a little bit, writes her name in the snow, then goes back in the house. She also wrote her name on the car, but didn't clean it off. Of course tomorrow morning she will be bitching about it but football is on NOW. Ain't nobody got time for shoveling.

FESS in the snow! Should be in the MOMA. 


#10
Fess on a Shelf has no idea how such a tragic accident could have happened. Thankfully no alcohol was harmed during this travesty but one of her favorite shot glasses, perhaps taken from one of the area's fine establishments which is no longer in existence, pretty much imploded upon impact with the tile kitchen floor. She asks that we all take a moment and bow our heads in remembrance of the good times this shot glass has provided.

Oh the tragedy!!!



#11
Fess On A Shelf realizes she may be coming across as this raging alcoholic but, she rarely ever feels any rage. So....we shall just say she may have been a little heavy handed when pouring her "apple juice" the other night and that some sipping before lifting may have been necessary due to this heavy handedness. (And perhaps some cleaning of the table and floor around the vicinity where this heavy handedness occurred.)She may have also given herself a nice gash on the thumb when opening the ball jar containing said "apple juice" but gives us the thumbs up because it's all good, even though it really did hurt pretty bad. Here's to the Christmas Spirit!!

Hell yeah I'll drink this.

Fess on a shelf
Honestly....who does this? 

#12
Fess On A Shelf is really tired today and cannot do any baking or clean her messy kitchen because her boss Ed Bernadyn aka Mr.Grinch works her too hard then takes all the credit. Then he makes fun of her and steals all the pizza and picks the oreo pieces off of Larry's cake and giggles his bad banana peel with greasy black spots sinister giggle while he eats them. This is what Fess has been reduced to. You're a three-decker sauerkraut and toadstool sandwich with arsenic sauce Mr. Ed!

Awwww.... This Little Elf has been overworked....or is drunk again. 


#13
Fess On A Shelf felt her Snoopy Tree was missing something. It just didn't seem to say Holiday Cheer. This vexed her very much. So...she hung some handmade ornaments on her Snoopy tree and just wow. What a transformation!!! Of course the bottles were a little heavy for such a delicate little tree so she kindly emptied them. It was a tough job but someone had to do it. It is Christmas and all. Unfortunately not everyone in THIS house appreciates her handmade ornaments. When her son saw the tree he exclaimed "You would do that to the tree!!!" Whatever!

My son took one look at the tree and said "You would do that to the tree. Take them off now!"


#14
Fess On A Shelf is a very naughty and perhaps sick individual whom sometimes fondles her TV when Peyton Manning is on the screen. In this particular photo she was touching his butt and pointing it out for everyone to admire. It is a very nice ass. It should be shared....with Fess On A Shelf. Did you hear that Santa? If Peyton Manning is not under her tree with a big freakin' red bow the Fess is going to show you what the meaning of naughty is!!!!!!!!!! Just putting it out there.

Peyton's butt and my finger. Kinky!
Ginormous Peyton Manning 


#15
Fess On A Shelf and her band of misfit friends were snowed in so they decided to have a Texas Hold Em tournament by the "fire". It got a little crazy. Yukon declared us all lightweights only instead he used the "P" word for a cat. That was really mean! He just drank right from the boxed wine tap then proceeded to say "Yea I tapped that sh@t!" all night long. Hermie kept stealing all of Fess' cigarettes and babbling about teeth. Boring! Santa was being a real bitch about getting his ass handed to him over and over again and tried to blackmail us with coal. Yea, okay. I'll just heat my house with it, mofo! Whatever! Bumble and Rudolph hooked up at the end of the night in Fess' bathroom. She kept hearing Rudolph shout something about making his nose glow long and hard?? Yea...She is now scarred for life. In the end Frosty melted, Karen stabbed Sam the Snowman with an ice skate and Fess locked herself in her bedroom. I love my friends!!!!

The house of misfit everything aka the House of Fess
Selfie time!! So gangsta!!


#16
Fess On A Shelf knows some people never thought they would see the day, she thought it for awhile herself, but alas......this naughty little elf found herself a sweet, funny, handsome, "younger" man under her tree one day and was like "Peyton who?". Guess Santa knew what he was doing after all. Let's all take a moment to wish the Great LB good luck with the rollercoaster ride that is his new girlfriend.....Fess On A Shelf. He needs is just to deal with her clumsy, goofy ass alone. LMAO!!


Ashy Larry <3 Poor Larry as Ed Bernadyn says....ALL THE TIME. Shut up Ed!!!


#17
Oh snap! Fess On A Shelf took Ed Bernadyn aka Eddie's stocking!! ( Cowboy colors?? Seriously? Thought you were an Eagles fan? Such a traitor. Poor Chip and Nick are crying over their cheesesteaks right now. Grinch! No wonder there is a bunch of coal in it!!)

An Eagles fan with a Cowboys stocking. Ed is such an enigma. 


#18
Fess On A Shelf tried to give herself fancy Christmas fingers nails like all the other girls are sporting this time of year. Yea.....the attractiveness of this selfie manicure ranges somewhere between "WTF?", "How could you have possibly even fathomed that this would turn out good?" and " You like to lick windows don't ya?". The voices in her head are all in complete agreement that Fess should only paint her nails a solitary color and leave the designs to the pros. Good Lord Woman!! For the love of god step away from the nail polish!

Yea.... not good. 
Why? Why do I even try? 


#19
Fess On A Shelf is craving all things chocolate and is perhaps eyeing up the kids' chocolate advent calendars. In fact, December 21st and 23rd may even have little IOU notes in their windows now. Surprise!!! It's not like they didn't have 23 other days worth of candy. Tis the season of not being greedy and eating all the candy but for sharing some with your mother in her time of need.

Give me chocolate and no one gets hurts. Well maybe the kiddos cuz I ate all their stuff. 


Just cuz making faces is fun when you are stealing your kids candy!!


#20
Fess On A Shelf may not have her naughty hat on but she felt it necessary to take some time from work to decorate the picnic table with her art. Gary Kreisl Jrmay have had a major part in this beautiful display of workplace talent as well. He likes to cause mayhem wherever he goes. Then maintenance came and put their bags of rock salt on the table and.... Sadly the art was ruined which makes it even truer art. Sighs!

I work hard when I am at work! Seriously...I do!


#21 
Fess On A Shelf believes Santa's Reindeer live in the cabana in her yard. There are deer tracks in the snow all over her yard. Her daughter is insisting they are cat foot prints and not reindeer footprints but Fess is the mom and mom is always right so....they are reindeer footprints and they lead right to the cabana. Fess wants to feed the reindeer but the only thing she has handy is the gingerbread fudge that is so terrible and solidifies the fact that Fess she never, ever, ever make fudge. She swore she would never serve to another human being on the planet even though her daughter liked it. However....may the reindeer would like it. She tries to lure them out with the fudge but gives up after about 2 minutes because it is 15 degrees outside and windy and she is a big baby when it comes to the cold. 

Even Santa's Renideers hate Fess' gingerbread fudge. 


#22
Fess On A Shelf could not be present for this picture because she was covered in sweet and sour sauce. Turns out Its a very projectile type of sauce. Who knew? The Great LB, however, made sure to mention that this sign has never been more appropriate as he stood there is awe at the sheer clumsiness that can sometimes be the entity know as Fess. Lmfao!!

Oooopsies!!! Did I do that?


#23
Happy New Year from Fess On A Shelf, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Canadian Club, The Gallaghers, Johnnie Walker, Your mom, my dad and The NY Giants. Fess On a Shelf is officially stuffed in a box in the back of a closet at her mom's house until next year. You are welcome!! 

Merry Christmas 2013 and Happy New Year 2014!!! Bunny Ears are hawt!


Fess

The NY Giants 2013 Football season summed up in one picture!! 


Saturday, December 28, 2013

#46 See Stevie Nicks in Concert

"If you love somebody, save their soul. Tie them to your heaven and erase their hell. Love the lifestyle, if you feel it. Don't try to change them. You never will." -Long Distance Winner, Buckingham Nicks




Ever since I can remember, I have always been fascinated and enchanted with the beautiful songbird that is Stevie Nicks. I believe this all started over an HBO Special way back when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old. HBO was airing Stevie Nicks' Bella Donna Tour concert for an entire month. Not sure which month it was, all I know was every time they aired it, I watched it.

I was completely drawn by how different she was from other women. We were coming off the age of 70's disco and shiny spandex and here was this doll faced rocker chick with her wild blonde hair cascading down her shoulders, sporting dark lips, porcelain skin, flowing lace dresses and knee high boots while rocking it out on the stage with her tambourine.

Her voice was not as melodic as the many other popular female singers. It was raspy, alto and most definitely one of a kind. The lyrics to her songs were poetic and mystical. Even back then, as young as I was, I got what she was putting down. She sang of love, heartbreak, dreams and life, but she did so in such a fabled storybook way.

When the guitarist began playing the riff that would become one of the most famous in all of music, that being the riff to Edge of Seventeen, the audience on TV went nuts and I would get the chills. It wasn't until many years later that I found out Edge of Seventeen, one of my most favorite Stevie songs, was partially written about one of the members of one of my all time favorite bands, The Beatles.

"I'm a few years older than you, my love." Edge of Seventeen, Stevie Nicks

I wanted to be this woman. I wanted to look like her, dress like her, sing like her, move like her and write like her. I didn't stand a chance in hell. I was a freckle faced little redhead. My hair was cut so short I was usually mistaken for a little boy. My mother called my hair the Princess Diana or Dorothy Hamill look. My ass!

They still had hair on their head. I'm surprised my mother didn't just shave my head and call it the Kojak look. I guess it didn't help that I acted like a little boy too. I was a complete tomboy growing up. I had no girly fashion sense at all. I also had the boy's name of Christian. But then again, Stevie is a boys name too.

Stevie Nicks Concert
My ticket stub for Stevie!!

Hmmmm. Maybe we were on to something. I could sing (back then I could). I was more of a soprano than raspy, but it was singing. I could dance. I took tap. I had been on the stage before. I did theater. And I won the creative writing award in my 3rd grade class. I could learn to play the tambourine. Can't be that hard.

Wow! I was halfway there. (Yea right!) Of course every time I would try to grow my hair, my mother would chop it. Eventually I was allowed to have it shoulder length. I started sneaking into my Aunt's makeup in the bathroom and experimenting. I went to my childhood friend Renee for assistance on how to be more girly. (It was also around that time that I started noticing boys.)

My parents started giving me Stevie Nicks cassettes and Fleetwood Mac albums for Christmas and my birthday. My dad would tape all Stevie and Fleetwood Mac specials on the TV via Betamax. (Remember those?) My mother had a flowy white dress in the basement that I would wear as I danced around the basement pretending to be the redheaded version of Stevie Nicks. Then one day....my little sister caught me and busted my ass so badly that I may have wanted to rip the heads off of all her Barbies then beat her with their plastic headless bodies. I have not lived that down to this day!

"Sara, you're the poet in my heart. Never change. Never stop."- Sara, Fleetwood Mac

Oh, one other little fandom factoid I feel compelled to share. As a Catholic we receive Confirmation, which is a ceremony welcoming us into adulthood much like a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. One of the traditions of a confirmation ceremony is choosing a name to be confirmed with as an adult. We are supposed to choose the name of a saint or the name of our confirmation sponsor. Not me. Not this gal! I choose my name based on a favorite Fleetwood Mac song of mine that Stevie sings. You may have heard of it. It's called "Sara".

Needless to say the nun in charge of Confirmation was not to thrilled about the reason for my choosing my name. Thankfully Sister Monica was one of those cool nuns. She played basketball better than most men. She also pointed me towards a Saint Sara which would look much better to the bishop concerning my Confirmation registration. She said he probably has no idea who Fleetwood Mac is anyways. Rock on Sister Monica! Rock on!

Fast forward to August 24, 2001. My ex husband had just come back from a trade show in Atlantic City (which we refer to in these parts as AC.). It was my birthday. Granted, the first seven or eight years we were together my ex was really shitty about my birthday. I had actually become desensitized to my birthday because in our house, it was just another day. I used to love my birthday too.

However, as he matured, he started giving me some of the best, most thoughtful birthday presents I could ever want. One year he bought me a new diamond engagement ring. Another year, back when I was still huge into NASCAR, he surprised me with a few laps around Pocono in a race car.

" I know you really want to tell me good-bye. I know you really want to be your own girl"  -Stop Draggin' My Heart Around, Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks

However the best birthday present I had ever received were two tickets to see Stevie Nicks play at the Taj Mahal in AC on September 15, 2001. It was my 28th birthday. He wanted me to have a weekend away with my sister to see my favorite artist of all time. He was going to take care of the kids that way I could really enjoy myself. He knew how skittish I could be about leaving them.

I adored those two babies so much. I still do. Rarely would I go anywhere without them. I was still a little apprehensive about leaving their dad in charge, but knew my parents were close by as well in case he needed help. I was in seventh heaven. To say I was excited would be an epic understatement. For the next few weeks, all I listened to was Stevie music.

My sister Alicia and I began planning our weekend. We were going to drive down early Saturday morning and stay at the Sandpiper in Wildwood, NJ. It would be way cheaper than AC on a Saturday night and we could hit the famous boards we grew up on as kids. It was also Firefighters Weekend in Wildwood so there would be a parade and lots of cool stuff going on all over the little island city. The drive to AC was a little under 40 minutes from Wildwood so it wouldn't be bad. We were all set and very stoked.

"I guess we don't believe that things could go that far. Somewhere in the night someone feels pain. The ones that walk away. Try to love again." - Trouble in Shangri-La , Stevie Nicks

Then the unthinkable happened. The September 11th attacks, the worst attacks on American soil since Pearl Harbor, took the entire world by shock. The world literally stopped. It shut down completely. Not only were we not sure there would still be a concert but in all honesty, Stevie Nicks or not, I had no desire to go anywhere.

I was devastated and heartbroken. That week, I spent more time crying while glued to the TV than I had ever in my life. I couldn't even imagine being away from my kids because September 11th was a harsh reminder that life is so short and horrible things could happen in the blink of an eye. I knew no one that died in the attacks but you would have thought every single victim was a close relative of mine, that was how hard I mourned. I wasn't alone in feeling that way either. Most Americans were just as devastated.

By Thursday, my ex husband saw how much I was in a bad way. He said they were still holding the concert and insisted I needed to go. I couldn't stop living life because of this. None of us could. He was right. So, Saturday morning my sister picked me up and we headed to the shore. I was very quiet the first forty minutes of the ride. I was not excited. I was sad.

I felt guilty that one of my biggest dreams was about to come true yet there were over 2900 other people who were no longer able to dream. It wasn't fair. As we were driving by the Allentown airport we saw a plane coming in to land. I held my breath. My sister pointed out that the plane had landed safely which was comforting. Life was moving forward regardless of how guilty I felt.

"I'm tired. I'm thirsty. I'm wild eyed in my misery." - Sorcerer, Stevie Nicks

It was time to join the living. Once we hit Philadelphia, I was smiling again. After we took the exit onto the Atlantic City Expressway, I was excited again. And when we entered Wildwood, there were firetrucks and firefighters everywhere, proudly flashing their lights and waving the American flag. It was so beautiful and so colorful and so American. I may have found myself all teary eyed but it was a good teary eyed.

After we checked into the hotel, my sister and I walked to the boards. (The Boards is what most people that visit the Jersey Shore call the Boardwalk. We also do not refer to the state as New Jersey. It is just Jersey to us Pennsylvanians.) As we turned the wooden ramp onto the boards we gasped. The entire boardwalk was a glorious sea of red, white and blue. People were cheering the firefighters, hugging them, and thanking them. Every few minutes a roar of applause would break out up and down the boardwalk.

I found myself smiling uncontrollably, a tear escaping my eye and rolling down my cheek every now and then. I find I can be very aloof about things or I can be overly emotional about things. It is always a crap shoot on how I am going to deal with difficult situations. Generally it is usually one of the two ways I just mentioned. Even I do not know how I will react to something until it happens and I react.

It is rare that there is any type of middle ground. I am either cold, quiet and distant or emotional train wreck. This time I was emotional train wreck. I was keeping it in check at the moment though. My sister and I bought memorial ribbons to wear from a vendor whom was donating the proceeds to the families affected by the attacks.

"Dreams unwind. Love's a state of mind." -Dreams, Fleetwood Mac

As we walked further down the boards, I noticed the fire fighters were so humbled and taken aback by all the attention. We spoke with a few of them. Some were melancholy and some were mad as hell. Some had known firefighters lost in the attacks and some didn't know anyone in the attacks. Some were in the city after the attacks to volunteer and since they were working in shifts, came to the shore for the weekend. Some were going back into the city that night.

The one thing they all had in common was how proudly they spoke of New York's bravest. It was a brotherhood, there was absolutely no denying that. And while they mourned for their fallen brothers, they celebrated their courage and spirit. To this day I am so happy I got to experience such an event so close to the city that I loved so dearly.

My sister and I grabbed some pizza at Jumbo's (A slice of pizza from there is....jumbo and delicious.) then headed back to the hotel to get ready for the show. I must have checked to make sure I had the tickets about 17 times. This made me really nervous because when I check for something so many times, I always end up going stupid and forgetting anyway. I gave them to Alicia to hold. She was calmer than me. After a final outfit check ( Back then I was so frumpy so I don't even know what the point was.) we got in the car and headed to AC.

"I am dealing with a man, who when away from me, stays deep inside my heart. He said if anyone falls in love, it will be one of us." - If Anyone Falls, Stevie Nicks

Once at the Taj Mahal we made our way to the Arena. It was pretty big but all the seats seemed good. Our seats happened to be on the left side of the stage. After we found our place I go check out the merchandise. I paid $8.00 for a watered down mixed drink in a plastic cup. I wasn't a big drinker back then (only family parties) so I started feeling a buzz right away.

When I got back to my seat my sister was giving me a half amused/half annoyed look. Tambourine Lady had taken a seat in front of us. Well, I shouldn't say she had taken a seat because she was standing. I knew this because her burgundy, corduroy clad ass was right in my face. She was shrieking (not yelling but shrieking) and waving her tambourine, complete with burgundy ribbons, around in the air like she just didn't care.

Good for her and all but I hated to tell her there was still about 30 minutes until show time. She should have really saved all her bravado for then. My sister nudged me and pointed to my right. There was a couple sitting next to us. My sister and I started rolling because the guy was giving tambourine lady the stink eye and shaking his head.

He looked like he wanted to send her sailing. Don't get me wrong, there was absolutely nothing wrong with being super excited to see your favorite artist play, but this lady had to be drunk or on uppers or both because she was a one woman carnival. I was waiting for a second head to pop out of her shirt.

Finally, the two women with her told her she needed to sit down. They looked embarrassed. She listened to her friends but every few minutes she would stick her arm straight in the air, shriek "Stevie!!!" and start waving her tambourine like she had a nervous tick. I was waiting for her to crack someone in the head with her tambourine. Didn't think she would enjoy the show that hadn't even started yet with a tambourine shoved up her ass courtesy of the man sitting next to me. Just sayin.
.
"So I'm back to the velvet underground. Back to the floor that I love. To a room with some lace and paper flowers, back to the gypsy that I was." - Gypsy, Fleetwood Mac 

About 25 minutes passed when the lights webnt dim in the arena. The riff from Edge of Seventeen started booming from the amplifier. Everyone jumped to their feet. We were all going crazy like the Tambourine Lady now. The song playing though was "Bootylicious" by Destiny's Child.  Stevie was not opening with Edge. Bet she was closing with it I thought. Sweet.

All of a sudden spotlights shone to the floor of the arena near the back. The doors swung open and a few security personnel entered the arena. Cool. Stevie was going to walk through the crowd to the stage. Nice. In the back of my mind I began to wonder how she was going to sing Bootylicious without Destiny's Child. This should be interesting. Then, all of a sudden, the music came to a halt.

Someone was now walking down the aisle in the middle of the arena flanked by the security. I recognized the hair immediately. It was definitely not Stevie. My sister leaned into me and asked "Is that Donald Trump?" I say "Yep!"

He walked to the stage. You could see Stevie come out to talk to him. DTstood there chatting with her for a good five minutes. This sent Tambourine Lady over the edge. She started bashing the shit out of Donald Trump, very, very, very, very loudly. I was starting to get the feeling that she did not care for The Donald very much.

The tambourine was now being whipped around violently above her head while she screamed at the top of her lungs, "Nobody cares about you and your fucking wig." I also hear her yelling something about how he ruined Stevie's opening and that perhaps the rich prick should have done this all before the show but he is an attention whore and is trying to steal Stevie's thunder.

I guess Don T. does occasionally enjoy the spotlight however I do find myself in disagreement with her observation that he is trying to steal thunder. He could afford to purchase his own thunder. I mean she said it herself, he is a rich prick.

Then there was the a colorful statement made about how he should get back on his rich prick helicopter and go to the toupee store and buy a new wig because the one he has now looks like a dead squirrel and that maybe it really is a squirrel. It's a theory I guess. She makes some valid points about the whole hair thing I must agree.

However, I was not sure if I agreed with the animal of choice. I, personally, would have selected something more along the lines of a chipmunk, which was in the same rodent family as the squirrel, but, I was not the one doing the bashing so I'll gave her squirrel. I may have also heard her mention something about the women in his life. Supposedly they only sleep with him because he is rich but Tambourine Lady wouldn't let him or his ugly hairpiece anywhere near her hairpiece. I mentally award her an A+ for creativity in her use of an analogy that is pretty clever.

"Who in the world do you think you are fooling? Well I've already done everything you are doing. Well the two of us, we must be...a great temptation to have even started. Great temptations never die." -Two Kinds Of Love, Stevie Nicks

My sister and I both had to sit back down because we were laughing so hard that we were really close to pissing ourselves. So much rage against The Donald. I became startled when Tambourine Lady whipped her head around and said to me "Can you believe this asshole? I feel so bad that Stevie even has to talk to him. She is probably flipping out that he ruined her entire fucking opening. Fuck him and his wig!"

I was trying so hard not to laugh in her face. She was really pissed off. All I could manage to say to her was "Yea,he's really rich. Totally ruined her opening." She agreed with me then whipped back around. Thankfully The Donald was finally making his way back out of the arena. I was beginning to fear for his safety. The way that woman was waiving her tambourine around, she could have probably used it as a deadly projectile even from 1000 feet away.

She did bid Donald farewell though. Not with applause like a lot of the people in the Arena were doing but with a simple statement that, while not word for word, went something like this "That's right wig man, you're too good to stay for the show. We don't want you here anyway. You are not good enough to hear Stevie's songs with your helicopter."

This woman obviously had issues with hairpieces and transporting devices that utilized multiple propellers. We all have our "issues" I guess. Not gonna judge. And for the record, I have absolutely nothing against Donald Trump. I like the guy. He's ok. Never did anything to me. Not a big deal. We have two hours of Stevie music ahead of us. It's all good.

" Time cast a spell on you, but you won't forget me. I know I could have loved you, but you would not let me. " -Silver Springs, Fleetwood Mac


Stevie Nicks Concert 2001

Once the doors closed and Mr. Trump had officially left the arena, Stevie waved to the crowd. We all went crazy again. She motioned her hands for us to quiet down. She said, "Thank you all so much for coming out tonite. I know we are all experiencing much grief and anxiety about the tragedies of the past week that have stricken our country. We are all so saddened by the events. We are all still trying to make sense of the reality we are facing. I would like to take you away from the pain for a few hours. Let's lose ourselves in the music tonight. Come away with me for a little while. It's okay."

I was now bawling. So was Tambourine Lady. I loved Stevie. She was always so sweet and gracious. You could hear the pain in her voice as well. You could see how much she loved her fans. I needed this. I needed her reassurance that it was okay to be here and not feel guilty. I had no tissues but I had the napkin from my drink. I wiped my eyes. My sister was now misty eyed because she knew how much this meant to me. What a bunch of saps in this family!!

"Rock on ancient queen, follow those that pale in your shadow." - Gold Dust Woman, Fleetwood Mac

I heard the cowbell start clicking. She was opening with Gold Dust Woman, my favorite Stevie song. I found I was singing along with Stevie even louder than Tambourine Lady. (I am always the stuck next to the crazies. The funny thing is, deep down I am crazier than most people in many ways. As of late, I've come to accept it and unleash it not hide it. I have taken my place as the reigning crazy one and I have never been happier to do so. I am the Queen. The one and only.)

Stevie brought us through 4 decades of music throughout the night. She sounded amazing. She was one of those artists that sounded exactly the same live as on her recordings. I went nuts through Stand Back, dancing as much as I could without knocking out the guy next to me. An hour into the show, Tambourine Lady had run out of steam. She was sitting in her seat, not waving the tambourine. The guy next to me leaned in and said "I hope she stays sitting because I was about ten seconds from kicking her and her tambourine down the the side of the arena." I started laughing. Told him I thought even her friends would have enjoyed that.

Stevie Nicks Concert 2001

Stevie dedicated the hauntingly beautiful song "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You" to the victims of 9/11. This was another one of my favorites. I don't think there was a dry eye in the arena. I was now wiping my tears in my sleeve because the napkin I has was completely saturated. Even the guy next to me got choked up.

She wrote this song for Joe Walsh of The Eagles. He had lost his daughter when she was 3 1/2 years old. Even though she was just a little girl, she was an old soul whom related to and understood her father so much. He used to take her to a park in Colorado that she loved. Her only complaint was that she was too little to reach the drinking fountain to get a drink.

After she passed, he placed a little silver drinking fountain under her favorite tree in the park and dedicated it to her and "all the others who were too small to get a drink." This moved Stevie so much that she wrote this song for him. He was her soul mate. He was the man who made her believe in love at first sight.

                                        "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You"


Has anyone ever written anything for you
In all your darkest hours
Have you ever heard me sing
Listen to me now
You know I'd rather be alone
Than be without you
Don't you know

Has anyone ever given anything to you
In your darkest hours
Did you ever give it back
Well, I have
I have given that to you
If it's all I ever do
This is your song

And the rain comes down
There's no pain and there's no doubt
It was easy to say
I believed in you everyday
If not for me
Then do it for the world

Has anyone ever written anything for you
In your darkest sorrow
Did you ever hear me sing
Listen to me now
You know I'd rather be alone
Than be without you
Don't you know

So, if not for me, then
Do it for yourself
If not for me then
Do it for the world
Poet... priest of nothing
Poet... priest of nothing

Stevie Nicks

As the concert came to a close, Stevie did not disappoint. Our lovely songbird finished with "Edge of Seventeen." She knocked it out of the arena. There was nothing like hearing her sing that song live. The live music gave me the chills and her voice was filled with such an utter passion. This was her swan song as a solo artist. This was her white winged dove. It was just like Lynyrd Skynyrd with Free Bird. Until you see it live and in person, you just will not understand how dynamic and powerful a song it is.

After the show, I tried to get closer to the stage, hoping to get a glimpse of her, but she was already gone. It didn't matter. I was in the same room with her. 20 something years after I first took notice of her on that HBO special, I got to spend an evening with her. I got to hear her perform live and in person. I got to feel her energy.

This truly was a dream come true for me. I will always be so thankful to all who made it possible for me to experience this moment. To sum up my feelings in the words of Stevie herself, "I run around like a spirit in flight, fearlessness is fearlessness. I will not forget this night. Dare my wild heart. Blame it on my wild heart."

Always! The Wild Heart. 

Can a wild heart ever truly be tamed?
No.


"Well I've been afraid of changing, cause I built my life around you. But time makes you bolder. Children get older. And I'm getting older too. Yes, I'm getting older too." -Landslide, Fleetwood Mac 


Chrissy





"My love is a man who has not been tamed. My love lives in a world of false pleasure and pain. We come from different worlds but we are the same, my love. I never doubted your beauty, I've changed. I've changed." -Beauty and The Beast, Stevie Nicks



My Favorite Stevie Photos. Such a beautiful, honest, human spirit. 

Stevie Nicks
Such a natural beauty.

Stevie Nicks
We share a love of hats!
Stevie Nicks
A style all her own. She is a shorty like me. Love the boots. 

Stevie Nicks
Gorgeous!
Stevie Nicks
Still beautiful in her 60's. 
Stevie and Lindsey
Then.....
Stevie and Lindsey
Now

Monday, December 2, 2013

#211 Take My Kids To NYC For Christmas

The very first time I took my kids to NYC was back in 2005. We visited during the holiday season. I was so excited not only to see their reaction to the city in general, but was hoping they would feel the same wonderment I felt when I first glimpsed the Big Apple at Christmas time. I decided to stick to Midtown for their first outing in the big city. I knew it would be crazy busy since we were visiting on a Saturday in December but I was most comfortable navigating that area. 

Besides, there were so many famous landmarks and decorations for them to enjoy in Midtown. 5th Avenue, Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Radio City, Times Square, Broadway and Central Park were just some of the places we were going to visit. In fact, we started our big city adventure by taking a carriage ride through Central Park. My daughter, whom loves horses, picked the carriage for our journey. She chose a beautiful white horse with a fluffy white tail. She did a great job. 

Snowflakes
Snowflakes on Saks


It couldn't have been a more perfect day for a wintry carriage ride through the park either. The city was experiencing a gentle snowfall the day of our visit. Large and billowy snowflakes were drifting slowly from the sky, falling onto our heads ever so softly. The air was crisp and cool but not at all frigid. A glistening blanket of beautiful white snow coated the grass which surprisingly was untouched by footprints. It was like being inside a snow globe.

As we rode along the paths in the park, we happened upon the skating rink. Our carriage driver mentioned that this was the ice skating rink Macaulay Culkin famously slide across in the movie Home Alone 2. My son is a huge, huge fan of the Home Alone movies so he was beyond thrilled to see this ice skating rink in person. He also wanted to visit the Plaza Hotel, which was right next to Central Park.

Christmas in New York Central Park
Carriage Ride through Central Park

The Plaza was also in the movie, but unfortunately for us, the hotel was closed for construction. He was pretty bummed about that. So, after our ride, I took them to some toy stores. I talk about Toys R' US Times Square briefly here. Unfortunately, Toys R' US is no longer located in Times Square. No more Ferris Wheel. In fact, FAO Schwarz is no longer operating either although there are reports that it will be re-opening in 2018.

Christmas in NYC
FAO Schwarz...WTG lady bombing my pic!

FAO Schwartz
Inside FAO Schwartz

The kiddos loved both stores. FAO Schwarz was really cool and my favorite of the two. Sure, they had a lot of the newest, most popular toys on their shelves but they also had some truly vintage, old fashioned toys from even before my time. I imagined my father and grandfather playing with those toys as children. Such simpler times they were. I miss that sometimes.

Also, many of the toys at FAO Schwarz were unique and very educational. I loved that. I think it is great that a child can learn so much while having fun playing with a toy. They are the best toys in my opinion. I bought my kids many, many educational toys through the years and they always played with them. Naturally, we purchased a few vintage, unique and educational toys on our visit to FAO Schwarz. How could we not?

Godiva Hot Chocolate
We also stopped in Godiva for some delicious hot chocolate. I figured my daughter would definitely share my appreciation for the exquisite chocolate Godiva creates. She has good taste like her mum. However, my son was the one who raved the most about how delicious their chocolate was. He was walking around, sipping his cocoa, speaking about it as if he were a food critic who just discovered the holy grail of hot chocolate. I found it very comical but endearing.

The kiddos and I strolled around midtown taking in the lights and the music around us. We talked about the history of the city. They didn't ask many questions, instead they observed and admired the spirit of this city. Walking through Times Square after dark, with all of the neon signs lighting up the New York sky, I watched the expressions on their faces. They were as star struck with this place as I was my first visit.

Beautiful Japanese art. 
They loved looking at all the wares and artwork the street vendors were peddling up and down every sidewalk in Midtown. There was an artist that made really cool panoramic air brush paintings of your name with designs like dragons, sports and butterflies. My kids thought they were awesome so of course, I had to get them each one. My daughter chose a red background with her name designed with an Asian flair complete with Chinese Dragons. My son chose a blue background with skyscrapers towering around his name.

The one mistake I made that day was taking them to TGIFridays in Times Square for dinner. Earlier, when we first arrived, I had initiated them with a traditional NYC dirty water hot dog from one of the sidewalk carts. It's not an official first trip to the city without partaking in that event. But, dinner should have been somewhere cooler. New York has so many fantastic, original restaurants and I took them to a restaurant we frequented back home. Boo! Not cool. They didn't care but I did. I made up for it on later trips to the city. Promise!

We explored Rockefeller Center and the Avenue of the Americas. We were all entranced by the huge tree towering above the skating rink. To this day, it's beauty and enormity never cease to amaze me. We visited some stores in the Plaza while I treated them to cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery. Their buttercream frosting is so divine. We also picked up a few hot pouches of roasted nuts from a sidewalk cart. The aroma emitting from the cart was too wonderful to resist.

M&M World. Oh The Colors!


LV. Colorful fun for the big girls! 


Gene Wilder was not there! So sad. 

Our feet were beginning to ache from our long adventurous day in the city. We headed down to  Famous Famiglia Pizza on 8th Avenue and 43rd street to grab a fantastic slice of pizza and some tasty garlic knots for an evening snack before the bus arrived to retrieve us near the Fox News building. Famous Famiglia has almost become a family tradition for us now. Many times we visit the pizzeria before heading back home.

Magnolia Bakery deliciousness! 
Eventually the bus arrived and it was time to say goodbye to the city. We climbed in, stored our packages where we had room, then took a relaxing bus ride back to Hazleton. It was on this day that I truly recognized both of my children were so much like me in ways deeper than I had initially believed. Yes, I had always noticed it, but children change as they grow.

My children were in fact, growing deeper. They were old souls and connoisseurs. They were intense and passionate about the things they enjoyed. They had such a keen sense of appreciation which was unusual for children of their age. They were open minded, wanting to experience much in life. This was one of the best Christmas gifts I have ever experienced. There is no value I could ever place on this moment. I was influencing my children in a way that was so very important to me and they were instilling this influence into their personality.

My kids first trip to NYC 2005

It is very complex to put into perfect words but I have always wanted my children to have the best parts of me. I hoped to give them what I believed were the best parts of who I am. And as a parent, there is no instruction manual on how to do this. All I could do was hope that I was doing something right. So, as much as I talked to them about what was important, meaningful and special to me, and I had a tendency to always speak to them as little adults rather than as children because I honestly did not know any other way, I also showed them what I was trying to communicate.

I created opportunities to share experiences and moments so that they could see it, feel it and hear it for themselves. Words speak volumes, yes, but it is actions and experiences that create the biggest impact to our minds and souls. Children are very impressionable, so, it is important to always keep this in mind. Our actions, both positive and negative, will impact the character of our children. Looking at my two little ones, I felt so much happiness, warmth and excitement.

The spirit of Christmas appears in many forms but no form is more precious and meaningful than in the eyes of a child who has been untouched by the sometimes harsh realities that accompany the grown up world. Allow your children to have a childhood. Allow them to be children. Do your best to give them that time. The years go by so fast. Eventually we all have to grow up, whether we want to or not. And while we can always be young at heart, we can never go back to being a pure, innocent child.

Near Rockefeller Plaza

All grown up! 


Fess

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Ciao!