The blog is back for 2015!

One of the resolutions I made earlier this year was to revive this Mom on the Go  blog. What better way to do that than with my encounter with Alan Thicke!

I have enjoyed much of his work ever since I was a child and he was playing Jason Seaver on Growing Pains. Among other things,  I used to watch Thicke of the Night and enjoyed 1987's TV move Not Quite Human where he played a scientist dad who created a human-like android that he tries to pass off as his son.

The actor and I have had exchanges on social media in the recent past-after he posted a photo of his knee surgery and I tweeted him a "Get Well Soon" message he replied with a comment about cupcakes I had made (I had Tweeted a photo of cupcakes I had made for co-workers).

Long story short, I recently Tweeted at him about wanting to meet him once I found out he was going to be in Jacksonville as host of the touring Dancing Pros Live show. He at some point Tweeted to me "Show me that smile again," a reference to the opening line of the "Growing Pains" theme song.

Some time on Sunday I get a DM from his Twitter account asking me if I need media passes to the Jacksonville performance. I am out of town and unable to attend (and unable to DM back) so I Tweet @ him my reply, including my email address for future contact. Later, I get an email with a name and number of someone I can text for tickets. 

By the time I got home from our out of town trip, the show was over. I assumed I had missed my chance to meet him but was too exhausted from the day to care much. I sent a polite thank you email and my apologize that I could not attend and really wish that I could have met him.

Just before 9:30 on Monday morning, I get an email, again from the Alan Thicke account: "departs Omni lobby at 10;30. can get photo then"  What? I can't believe what I am reading? Is this even legit? Everything else seemed legit. Then the panic sets in. I have about an hour to shower, get dressed and ready and drive downtown from my home one county down and about 20-30 minutes away.

I kept thinking I would lever make it but I pulled into the parking lot next to the Omni Jax downtown with time to spare. I walked inside and used the bathroom and checked myself in the mirror. Then I waited in the lobby, and waited. Kept thinking I heard his voice coming. 10;30 came and went and no sign of him.

I expected him to be escorted by an entourage of people or the other show performers or a hotel security guard at the very least. But when I saw him about 10 minutes later. It was just him strolling into the lobby with his wheeled luggage.

As I started to approach him, he said "is that Lisa?" (There was no one else in the lobby but us, a concierge and the two clerks behind the counter.)

I said "yes, hi! It's nice to finally meet you."

"I'm sorry I'm late he said."

"Oh that's OK, I know you are busy getting ready," Or I said something along those lines. 

And I gave him a hug (probably not what he was expecting but oh well. When would I ever see him again?)

I handed him my business card so he would know I was who I said I was and he said "oh assignment editor, you're an important person."

"Well... at least I like to think so," I joked.

"Maybe this guy can take our photo," Thicke said, motioning in the direction of a concierge standing there who had NO idea how to work my cell phone camera.

"I'm sorry you had to miss the show," he said to me.

"So am I,"  I said. How was it?" I don't remember his response. I also asked him where his family was but I don't remember his response to that either. In my rush to get the cameras ready and take up as little of his time as possible I forgot a few things.

I took one of Alan alone and handed it to the man, but it didn't take. So I took a few selfies but the quality was poor. The man finally took one and we checked to make sure it was there.

I asked him to sign my Growing Pains DVD and as I got the Sharpie ready he said 'here, I have these for you," and handed me a bag of Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies that I am assuming are a free gift in every hotel room at the Omni.

He signed the DVD and said a good bye and started out the doors, stopping for a newspaper on a table on the way out. When we were outside I asked to take one photo of him with my "good" camera and he obliged. Then he got in to a small chauffered car on his way to the airport for his next stop: New York.

And I got into my car, paid the $3 parking fee and went home. It was a great day for someone like me who is a huge celeb hound and who didn't think this meet-and-greet was going to happen. 

Mom on the go again! The blog returns...

It's been a long time (almost a year) since I posted anything to my blogs so I think it's a good time to revive it, especially because I have been living up to my blog name. The mom on the go lifestyle is in full force.
After a couple of weeks without my babies (most moms would relish the break but I truly missed them), I hopped on a plane to join them in Colorado, where they were spending their summer with family. Husband had taken them and the dog out there in mid-July but I. had to wait for the "sweeps" rating period to be over to take my vacation time.
I got up early on July 27to eat breakfast, tidy up things and pack the last of my belongings. My Realtor was kind enough to pick me up and drive me to JAX. While waiting for my flight, I ran into the dad of one of my older son's friends. He happens to work for the airline I was flying on. I felt lucky to have already seen two familiar faces that day. But I Couldn't wait to get off the plane in Colorado and see my children. There really is no greater feeling. ....And even now, as I type this up on my mobile phone while we drive through Georgia on our way back home, I am so grateful for the time we got to spend there together and all the memories we made. Part two of our journey (after I arrived ) will come in another post.

Ghouls out in Georgia

NOTE: I have been meaning to post this blog for quite some time now but have been so busy that there was never a good time to do it. I am taking some time now to do so.

I love this time of year--the holiday season is beginning and pumpkins and pumpkin-flavored baked goods and coffees come back.

Last month we drove to Valdosta, Ga. to check out Wild Adventures' annual Kid-o-Ween activities. (For those who don't know, Wild Adventures is a theme park about a 2-hours drive from Jacksonville, Fla.) It's a trip we have enjoyed making for the past  few years.

There are a few mainstays we look forward to each year, such as the trick-or-treating - -the kids get a bag upon entering  and then proceed to various locations throughout the park where they can collect candy. No costumes required. My sons always try to hit every candy stop.

Kid-o-Ween also includes fun, family-friendly shows like the interactive game Do You Boo? and Count Rockula's Dance Party--a popular spot where kids dance along to Halloween songs. The park also offers some of its regular shows during this time, like Tigers of India.

When we weren't riding the rides, we took turns through the hay bale maze, let each boy pick his own mini pumpkin from Monty's Magical Pumpkin Patch (good deal for just $1 each), and they decorated treat bags and paper masks at the craft station.

Although we didn't stay into the evening hours, at night the park transforms into "Terror in the Wild" a more-adult-themed event. Terror, aimed at guests ages 12 and older, includes live actors dressed in costumes and scary attractions like the Ghost Train, Field of Screams and Pumpkin Forest.

The park will also be opening two new rides in 2013: TailSpin and Wacky Wheels.

A tasty lesson on life, lunch

So I made the ultimate sacrifice last week: I ate school cafeteria 
lunch. I am kidding. It really wasn't all that bad and it was a good 
lesson--and blog. It seems not much has changed in the decades since I 
spent time in a school cafeteria.

I was at the boys' new school for one of my first volunteering efforts. 
It was picture day for the lower grades (K-2) and I was told it would 
be a lot of fixing collars and combing hair--basically making sure the 
kids looked OK. It turned out they already had someone else to do that 
job so instead I basically escorted the kids off the cafeteria stage 
and down a ramp they had probably never used before and into the 
cafeteria where the rest of their class would be waiting.

  It was an all day assignment so rather than going home to get some 
food (a 5-minute drive) I figured it would just be easier to eat lunch 
with my younger son. Afterall, it was cheese quesadilla day in the good 
old cafe so why not? I like quesadillas.

But I forgot I have not been through a cafeteria line in decades. 
Grabbing a milk to drink was easy enough but I almost forgot to grab a 
tray. And then there were students in line in front of me who wanted to 
talk--wanted to know who I was and why I was there: Was I a teacher? 
Then what to order: The cafeteria worker plopped 4 quesadilla triangles 
onto my tray (and I wondered why the shell had bumps on it--what made 
it that way? My tortilla shells don't look like that when I make them). 
Then a side of Mexican rice and another side of corn was added to my 
tray. I also grabbed a banana that I ended up NOT eating and a frozen 
fruit bar for my son that I knew he would want.
Lunch was $3 (not bad for all the food I got). The student 
meal--slightly smaller is only $1.75. The cashier asked if I wanted to 
put it on my child's account but I didn't (wanted to save the money for 
them). So I paid cash, which they did not seem to like.
Then my son and I sat down in the guest section and I tried the food. 
Just as gross as I remember when I was a kid.

In all seriousness it was not that bad. The quesadillas were OK, just 
OK--probably not the kind that children would like. I know my son did 
not even want to try them even after I added sour cream (which he 
loves) to them. I am guessing many children tossed the Mexican rice. It 
is not something a child's palate would enjoy. And the corn was 
forgettable. There was nothing spectacular about this meal or that 
would make me want to eat it again.

Parents, please do not be fooled. Your children are NOT eating the 
school lunch you are paying for. It's just not appealing enough to 
them. Did you ever wonder why they were so hungry when you picked them 
up after school? I was the lunch committee chairwoman at our last 
school so I spent a lot of time supervising lunch. The children throw 
out EVERYTHING they don't want or don't have time to eat and that 
included unopened bags of chips, cookies and Capri Suns as well as 
fruit or salad that they did not care for. I was amazed at how much of 
their lunches went straight into the trash because the either didn't 
like it or spent most of their time socializing.

I know school systems have spent a lot of time and effort to make the 
lunches healthier than when I was in school but little else has changed 
in the way of flavor and appeal. And trust me, the kids are picking and choosing which items they eat. So be sure to have some snacks ready after school. Even on pizza day. I'm just saying.

Better late than never

I have been reading about how to have a successful blog because, believe me, I want this one to succeed. "They" say you have to keep it current. oops. Unfortunately, I have not been doing the recommended "one post a week" update because we have just been so busy. On The Go is an understatement. I have barely had time to breathe since we got home from our summer trip to Colorado.

It was bittersweet coming home. So glad to be back in my own house, in my own room and my own bed, not having to share space with anyone. So happy to be in my home state in a city I was familiar with. But at the same time, I had made a few new friends --and visited old ones --back in Denver and knew I would miss them and all the fun we had. As well as missing the family members we had visited. Not to mention that area is just beautiful.

Even last week when we went to the beach (my how we had missed the beach!) and I took a photo of a sand dune because it reminded me of the mountains. You just can't re-create that out here, no matter how hard you try.

But after 6 weeks at a mile above sea level, I was ready to come back down to Earth. There was so much to do out there and so much family we stayed busy. There wasn't much access to the Internet and when it was it was shared. So I suppose I could have found a way to carve out some time to blog regularly but that would have been difficult. So I am writing one now and hope I remember to keep this blog current. Better late than never!

Not that there wasn't plenty to blog about. We visited Golden, Boulder, Colorado Springs and other towns. We stopped at the Century 16 in Aurora and saw the site of the shooting. We could see the smoke from the Waldo Canyon fire. We took a tour of Hammond's Candy Factory, walked the 16th Street Mall downtown, visited the Denver Children's Museum and Denver Art Museum, went gambling at the casinos in the Black Hawk/Central City areas, played at various parks, checked out books at the library and many other fun things. This summer was definitely about being on the go, in more ways than one.

But it is good to be back. Lots of changes for us upon our return. Our house is up for sale, I am looking for work and the boys start their first year at public school, and with a few less teeth than they had at the start of summer. We're looking forward to the new school year and all the things it has to offer. I hope you are too.

On the road again...

Who would have guessed when we embarked on this road trip back in mid-June that so much would happen between now and then. We left Jacksonville and now there is heavy rains and flooding from the tropical storm. We arrive in Colorado and there are wildfires forcing evacuations in several different areas. What is going on? Where we left and where we are both are having major weather issues. I keep saying that we brought the heat with us from Florida because the temperatures have been in the 100s here all week. I thought we came to Colorado for the summer to escape the Florida heat. Yes, I know they say it is a dry heat here and you don't get the humidity but, as I said on my Facebook page, hot is hot! And  it is.
I am missing home, Jacksonville, the beach and my friends. Don't get me wrong: Colorado is beautiful and I am having a nice time but this is not home. I am a Florida girl through and through. I am lucky to have a couple of friends here--and Internet access--to keep me sane.
The road trip was a nightmare with the kids and I wrote a blog along the way. However I typed it up on my OLD laptop and don't have the technology with me to transfer it from there. As a matter of fact I don't even have my USB cord with me to post photos. Maybe soon.
Thank goodness there are some comforts from home here, like Starbucks, Target and my 5-year-old's favorite, Einstein Brothers. It seems their bagels are one of the only things he will eat for breakfast out here.
What else can I say? I am trying to get acclimated to being closer to the sun and the thin air here. I have made some new friends and visited with old ones. I am searching for a job and I am hoping that keeping this blog up to date will help.
We have visited Boulder, Mother Cabrini Shrine, downtown Denver and a few other areas. Mile High Stadium is now Sports Authority Field. The kids are enrolled in the library summer reading program so they can get free tickets to the local theme parks. And I am still in search of a good Thai restaurant here. They have a Thai Basil like my favorite place back home but sadly only the names are the same.

You will be missed Grandpa

My grandfather passed away yesterday (5/8/2012) and there's so much that I want to say. I could turn this blog post about him into a book but I honestly don't know where to begin or how to say it. His name was Osvaldo Flores and he was a good man, mostly. I was born on his 50th birthday so I always felt a special connection to him (and we never forgot each other's birthday). Some of my earliest memories are of him coming to the apartment we lived at when I was a little girl and bringing me gifts, such as some books about prayers (One that I think i might still have) and buying me my very first Cabbage Patch Doll (at the time, finding them was no easy feat). And we spent many a weekend riding around downtown Miami in the taxicab that he drove for a living. Those were fun times. It was very obvious that he loved us. He was there for all the special moments. He always gave me a Christmas card, no matter where I was and I still have many of them saved. One of the last photos I have of us together is at my wedding in 2000.

In recent years he had lived in several different nursing homes with my mother tending to him there  almost every day before or after work. She tried to be by his side as often as she could. When I would come down to visit South Florida, my mother would insist I come visit him at the nursing home. This was very difficult for me sometimes. Some visits he spoke, sometimes he didn't. They said he might have had Alzheimers. Did he remember me? Of course he has changed a lot since those cab-driving days. He was not the same man anymore. I can't put it in to words right now. Oh, that man was still there behind his eyes but unable to articulate his thoughts and feelings as well. Still when I did get to talk to him on the phone there was always an "I love you." And I hope he remembers how much we all loved him.
He has met my children and I hope I can figure out where I put the photos of him holding my sons. They won't remember their great-grandfather but I will be sure to share photos and memories with them. I hope he is pain free and up in heaven now, watching over us all.
 I don't know what else to say.