Scrumptious S'Mores

The Fortenberry Summer bucket list included a fire in the fire pit and s'mores.  We hadn't completed the item, because Fred said that it was too hot outside.  Jeff, Emma and Lainey were in town over Labor Day weekend, so MaMaw and Grady helped us check that item off of our bucket list.

 

 

We had really big marshmallows to work with and short skewers.  Jonathan, the Boy Scout, seemed concerned about this prospect.  He wasn't interested in roasting a marshmallow if the skewer was too short.  

 

 

Somehow I didn't get a picture of Jess.  I must have put the camera up by the time she started working on her marshmallow.  She did a fine job - making sure hers was sufficiently burnt.

 

 

When we first stared gathering supplies and getting the fire ready, Lainey was very excited. Instead of requesting that we roast marshmallows, she yelled, "Let's marsh mallows!"

 

 

Thanks, MaMaw and Grady, for a fun evening!

Bucket List - Crawfish Cuisine

I told Fred that I really wanted to try crawfish this summer. While Jessie was on a date, the boys and I went to Dodies.  I have to admit that I wimped out and ordered my crawfish fried, because everything tastes better fried.  That comment brought a reply from Mr. Technical (aka Jonathan), "Oh yeah, would you want a fried orange?" 

Next time, I will try it boiled.  I had to start out easy.  I was too scared to jump in with both feet. I'm pretty sure I gained about 4 pounds after that meal.  I guess that is a good thing since I got suckered into joining the biggest loser contest at work. I'll have an extra 4 pounds I can work on.

I Love New York

While we were in New York, we had the opportunity to play a little bit in the evenings.  We walked around Times Square one evening.  Another evening we saw Wicked and had dinner around the corner in the theater district. 

One night, we took the subway to the Meat Packing District.  We went to a club called Plunge.  It was crazy packed.  Not so much fun... especially if you are a non-drinker.  However, it had a beautiful view that looked out over New Jersey.  Elena and I had a hard time posing next to Cody's gorgeous wife, Rachel. 

The last night, there were just a few of us left.  Most everyone had already flown back to Dallas. A handful of us had to stay back and tear down the booth.  The one lone male was tired of hanging with us ladies, so he did his own thing. So, there were three of us girl left.  We walked around for a while and decided that we wanted to take the subway to Staten Island.  Somehow we ended up on the wrong subway.  Imagine our surprise when we realized that we were in Brooklyn!  We decided that we were done with the subway, and we took a cab back to Soho!  It made for a fun story and a great adventure!  And, I got to see the Brooklyn bridge twice.  Once from the subway, and once from the backseat of a cab.

I really want to go back to New York!  I think it would make a great girls' trip.  Unfortunately, Fred doesn't like to walk, so I think New York would make him grouchy.  However, I loved New York, and I a want to go back soon!

She Works Hard For The Money

Our trade show in New York, Vision Expo East, is a very big deal for our company.  I had never attended the show.  I don't think anyone ever thought that I had the skills necessary to really have very much to do with the show.  I have always wanted to be a part of the show, so that I could prove that I am very capable.  Now that changes have been made in the Marketing department, not only did I get to attend this year, but I got to coordinate the entire show.  The months and weeks leading up to the show were quite stressful.  How can someone be expected to coordinate an entire show that they have never even attended?  Trying to decide how certain things should be laid out, what we should ship to the booth and other logistics was so difficult.  Somehow it all turned out okay. 

I learned so much from this trip.  I now have experience coordinating a trade show booth, and I was able to meet with many of our customers. 

Now that I am the Marketing Manager, I am working with all of our licensors.  I was able to meet with most all of them while I was in New York.  We work with the designer, Kay Unger (see the picture taken in our booth).  Our meeting with her was so crazy.  Several of us went to her showroom for the meeting.  It was an older building.  It had one of those elevators where the man shuts the gate and takes you up.  We sat in her showroom waiting for her, and then we realized that she wasn't in the office.  Turns out she got mixed up on the days.  So, we ended up taking a cab to her "fabulous" apartment in Soho!  I call her apartment fabulous, because that is how Kay kept referring to it.  It really was fabulous, though!  It was a fun and crazy adventure on my first full day in New York! 

My trip to New York was great for me professionally, and I am so thankful that I was finally asked to attend!  I hope that I have many more opportunities.

Wicked

 One of the highlights of my trip was going to see Wicked on Broadway. I went with my co-workers Elena and Cody along with Cody's wife, Rachel. We were so fortunate to have amazing seats. 

Of course, they didn't let you take pictures during the play.  However, I took pictures of the stage beforehand.  You know, just so I could document the experience.  The theatre seemed smaller than I imagined it would be.  Maybe that was because we had floor seats.  Perhaps, if I was sitting in the balcony then it would have seemed larger.

The play was phenomenal!  I was so worried, because I was the one who suggested Wicked.   Cody and Rachel don't really like musicals, so they weren't sure which play to pick, and Elena is Italian.  After some research, Cody and Rachel decided that Wicked  would be okay.  I was worried that the play might not make sense to someone whose first language is Italian, but she said that she understood most everything.  And, much to my relief, the non-musical liking couple enjoyed it as well!  I loved the storyline and the acting was superb.  I don't know how I will ever be able to watch another show again, because I will never again have seats this great!

The funniest story of the night came at the beginning of the show.  My co-worker, Cody loves to eat.  He is a healthy eater, though.  We were on a tight schedule.  We got back to our hotel a few minutes after 6:00 p.m.  We took a few minutes to change clothes and met up at 6:15 p.m.  Then we had to walk several blocks to the theatre.  Our show started at 7:00 p.m.  Cody could not wait until after the show for dinner.  He stopped at a deli for a quick sandwich and Greek yogurt.  He didn't have time to eat his yogurt, so he had Elena put it in her purse and sneak it into the theatre.  The very second that the lights went down he started asking for Elena to pass his yogurt down to him.  For some reason, I think that we are the first people in the history of Broadway to sneak YOGURT in to the theatre. 
After the show, we went to a restaurant in the theatre district.  Several actors had also come in after The Lion King.  We understand that Diane Lane was there, but we didn't get to see her.  There was an actor from The O.C. that we saw and we also got to see Josh Brolin and another lady whose name escapes me right now.  It was very exciting.  The host at the restaurant was letting us know who was exiting the restaurant, so that we could be on the lookout.  We didn't bother them, because we felt like they were on their own time and shouldn't be hassled.  However, Cody and Rachel did manage to snap a few discreet pictures with their iPhones. 

I loved the experience of seeing a Broadway show.  I loved Wicked.  I loved hanging out and seeing a few famous people.  It was a great night!

The Beverly Hillbillies Go To New York

We rolled up to the Marriott Courtyard Times Square in a limo.  Oh, yes we did.  We did not, however, roll up looking classy in our limo.  No, our co-president declared that we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies in New York. 

Six of us stood at the baggage carousel waiting for our luggage.  Most of us had two large pieces of luggage, because we were hand carrying product or presentations for the show.  A limo driver took in the situation and realized that he could make some money off of us.  He explained to our co-president that he could put us in a limo for far less than we would spend on taxis.  At first, it seemed pretty exciting.  My first time in New York.  I would experience the drive to our hotel in a limo.  Thing is, the driver didn't exactly have room for all of our luggage.  So, we sat with luggage crammed around us.  We discussed having a van service pick us up at the airport, but we wanted to save money.  I do believe that I will schedule a van to pick us up at the airport next year!  Six people and 10 pieces of luggage require a van!

My Bucket Runneth Over

I went to New York for work, and had a wonderful time.  Unfortunately, I left Fred and the kids at home.  Thankfully, they were all on Spring Break.  Jonathan said that he wasn't very sad that I was gone, since he was on Spring Break.

We worked really hard.  Our trade show went well, and all of our meetings were a success.  In the evenings, we were able to get out and play.  I am happy to report that I was able to mark a few items off of my bucket list while I was in New York.  I also managed to accomplish a few things that weren't on my bucket list, but still felt like big accomplishments.  You know, things like taking the subway, navigating NYC alone, eating a raw oyster and trying a bite of a friend's rabbit.  None of these were on my bucket list, but I sure felt a sense of accomplishment after completing each one. 

I expect to have time this weekend to get a few posts written.  Until then, I will tell you that rabbit tastes like chicken, and I haven't the slightest idea what raw oysters taste like.  I swallowed really fast!

The Bucket List Lesson

My aunt loves Elvis.  I mean really loves Elvis.  Last July, we had a big celebration for her birthday.  Mom and Auntie Jan hired an Elvis impersonator to put on a show in the party room at her apartment complex.  It was quite the party.  We were celebrating her valiant fight against cancer.

This July, Mom and Dad took Judy to Graceland for her birthday.   This was a different kind of celebration.  This was more like one last hoorah before the cancer took over.  The trip was planned as soon as they received the news that Judy's time will be cut short.

She had a wonderful trip, and the timing couldn't have been better.  As it turns out, she is already feeling the effects of the ugly disease.  Fred and I talked about the bucket list concept.  I was sad for Judy.  She got to visit Graceland, but I had a theory about this whole bucket list thing.  I told Fred that we should be working on our bucket lists now.  I don't want to wait until someone tells me that I have months instead of years left in this world.

I set about working on my bucket list.  I haven't put together a formal list, but there were a few things that I wanted to start off with.  I wanted an adventurous summer.  So, I went...

Hiking

Horseback Riding

Kayaking

Floating down a river

and, let's not forget that I let PawPaw Larry drag me around behind the boat in Big Bertha

What will I do for Autumn?  I don't know yet, but I'll keep you posted.

I saw Judy on Saturday.  It was my first time to visit with her, since she had really started getting sick.  I sat next to her bed, and held her hand.  She looked at me with sad eyes, and said, "Donna, this ain't me.  This just ain't me."  We talked a little bit about her cancer for a few minutes.  But, I wanted to lighten the mood.  I'm always the one cracking jokes at inappropriate times, because I prefer smiles and laughter in times of adversity. (I am like Clairee in Steel Magnolia where she offers to let M'lynn take a wack at Oiser.)  So, I asked Judy about her Graceland trip.  Boy, oh,  boy!  Her eyes lit up.  She told me all about it.  She pulled herself out of bed, and tracked down every last souvenir (and there were a lot) that she had purchased.  I asked her what her favorite part of the trip was.  Her reply was, "Donna, I just don't know.  I can't say.  It was all great.  I can't pick a favorite." 

At that moment, I learned an important lesson about bucket lists.  I do believe that you should always be working on your bucket list.  However, I think you should save something really big and important until you get that news.  That big important thing might be what gets you through the tough times. I'm grateful to my parents for making such a special trip happen for Judy.