I've been spotted

The rumors that MonkeyGirl packed her bags and ran away from home are partially true. Over the past couple of weeks, I have been traveling a lot. First stop, Tampa for 4 days then home for a couple of days, then off to San Francisco/Sacramento for 4 days followed by a quick getaway to the lake with Mr. Monkeygirl and some friends for some much needed R&R. It sounds glamorous and like fun, but I have to tell you this - traveling constantly S-U-C-K-S! Don't get me wrong, checking your e-mail from the beach or eating dinner at Fisherman's Wharf is fun, but after a while it gets old. The conversations generally revert back to work, the people you really want to talk to are in some different time zone, and you rarely get any puppy nuzzles while on the road.

In between my coastal trips, I decided that it was time for new luggage. My bags have seen better days and after years of travel, vital pieces - like the zipper pulls - where falling off or just plain missing. I don't know if any one travels much but have you noticed that everyone has a 25" black roller bag? It makes finding your bag on the luggage carousel a little challenging. Mr. M and I headed out one day on a quest for new luggage. The weekend ads promised 60-75% off luggage at one store so we had hope. I guess everyone else saw that this was a good deal so the selection was pretty picked over when we got there. My criteria was simple - sturdy wheels and something not black. We had no luck at stop one. So we headed over to the "butterfly" mall (a local 'outlet' mall that has a huge butterfly in one section so the M&M's dubbed it the butterfly mall). We looked at every possible store for a deal and we found some interesting selections but I couldn't decide. We got in the car and then I decided that I found something that I could live with and wasn't ungodly expensive.

I have to say that this luggage rolls much better than my old set. Spotting my bag on the carousel was easy-peasy-rice-and-cheesy. And the bonus - it is huge! I was able to pack all of my clothes for a 4 day business trip + 3 pairs of shoes with plenty of room to spare. On the way home, I was also able to stash my souvenirs for the boys, plus 2 new pairs of shoes (still in the boxes) in addition to everything I brought out with me. I have to say I was impressed with the space. So let me know what you think of my new bags! And yes, they are very me - aren't they?

The Divine Miss M

Tonight was an oddity for Aunt Monkeygirl. My little Miss M was my only charge for the evening. Boy M is starting Kindergarden on Thursday (eek!) so he and Mommy went to meet his teachers. That just left Miss M and me to our own devices.

She was so excited when I pulled up. Partly because I was there but most importantly because she had to show me a "surprise". Grandma bought her a new "lead-i-tard" for gymnastics. Even better, it is one of her favorite colors - purple! I think she talked about it almost the entire ride home.

Normally, we have to rush to get home, eat dinner and get to gymnastics on time. Without the distraction of her big brother, Miss M ate her dinner quickly (ugh, Burger King again!!) and then we went to change. Once she put on her new duds she advised me very seriously "It's not a leaditard, it is my dress up outfit!". She even sat still long enough for me to put her strawberry blond hair in pig tails. She stopped in front of every mirror in the house and posed. She stroked the velvety soft, royal purple ensemble whenever she got a chance. She was so proud of her $3 bargain Grandma found for her (yeah Grandma!!).

She pointed out her new outfit to every person that she ran into after she changed and they all showed the appropriate awe for Miss M's new duds! The funny part was that tonight was "Cardinal" day and they were supposed to wear their favorite Cardinal's stuff. The Pujols t-shirt she was sporting was so big on her that you could only see the tips of the sleeves, but little Miss M knew what she had on underneath and was so happy!

Rock on, Little Miss M - you look mah-velous!