hit the road jack

mother nature and jack frost need to work out their issues. it's like every fall they gravitate back towards each other, hook back up, fall back in love and stay that way all winter. then late january, early februrary, things start to get rocky again. she kicks him out, he makes his way back in. flowers start to bloom and then we get a hard frost. i feel like screaming, "give it up jack, she's just not that into you!"

then summer comes. mother nature breaks it off. who needs a man? she becomes more interested in summer flings with mr. thunder and lord lightning. i mean can you really blame her? there is nothing better then a summer thuderstorm. she enjoys those hot muggy charleston nights spent on the docks with cold beers and great friends. however, every now and then when you feel a cool breeze in the air or a cold front comes through, it's probably jack frost making a booty call.

but seriously jack, isn't it time for you to hit the road? my allergies are killing me.

ding dong, ding dong

i thought i heard them this morning. wait for it....

was that really what i thought that was?

reality check.

i used to live around the corner from two churches with lovely church bells. good morning, good night, it's noon, it's time to go to church, hurry up church is starting church bells.

this morning when i was getting ready, i thought i heard them. then i realized i was hearing things. i live smack in the middle of downtown savannah. those were not church bells. the noise i heard was a combination of sirens and construction noises.

a girl can dream right?

sophia, sophia, sophia

after living in "Switaly" for two years...I have made some observations about Italian/Switalian women.

1. Age is never an issue when it comes to clothing. If the outfit fits (or kinda fits), wear it!


2. If it sparkles, put it on.


3. Tan. tan, tan....TAN, TAN, TAN...go to the tanning bed.


Don't get me wrong, there are some fabulous women out there (Italian and my lovelies in Ticino) to whom these observations do not apply. Some of these fabulous women are very dear friends of mine.

But, let me just say...Sophia Loren at the Oscars, my observations exactly.




Cara Sophia......molto grazie!

"VDH"

hair has always been a challenge for me. curly, thick, unruly hair...not fun.

while i know that some people would kill for naturally curly hair, i would trade it in for straight hair on most days of the week. recently i cut six inches off my hair in an effort to try out a more professional look. my shorter, more manageable do is my most favorite haircut i have ever had. people have stopped me on the street to compliment me on my hair! wow! a couple of weeks ago i had to do a live television shoot for our annual campaign. after the spot, the host said.."I love your hair!"

the funny part about all of this is that the one thing that is making my hair so great is the fact that it is dirty. i fix it every morning but only wash it a couple of times a week. people in my office have been asking me for product advice, shampoo consultation and styling tips. i have to laugh because the honest truth is that its just dirt.

so...i decided as i was getting ready this morning that next time someone asked me what i was using in my hair that i would reply "VDH" short for Very Dirty Hair. The best part about VDH is that it is free and it gets better as it gets stale. With the economy like it is and expensive hair products left at the store to save money, give "VDH" a shot. You just might find what you are looking for.

Have you ever witnessed a real diva in action? I'm not talking about a sometimes high maintenance sort of diva. I'm talking about an all out, don't mess with me, I rule this place kinda diva. The kind that stops traffic, has their own private lair, and for lack of a better description...a diva who is basically just the HBIC.

Well, I have witnessed this type of diva. I know I wrote about my special Dixie girl the other day but today the world lost one of the most real divas that I have ever known and it would only be right to use this space to pay her some final respects. My family lost our beloved cat today at the age of 14. Aurora was one hell of a diva!

We brought her home when she was so tiny. Lizzie and I had always wanted a cat but my dad always played the "allergy" card. When we finally got him to give in, our prize was a jet black, spunky little kitten which we promptly named Aurora because of her love of lights. She was the kitten who, when she had her front claws removed, retaliated with more intense attacks with the back claws. Needless to say, the back claws had to come out too. However, she must have sharpened those "claws" at least once a day. She was chased and cornered by our family dog Tucker and would make noises like something that one would only expect from a lion until we came to her rescue.

Our sweet little kitten continued to grow. One day, the once tiny kitten who would dance across the ceiling tiles in the bathroom found herself on the bathroom floor after she fell through the ceiling. Whoops! I guess she had not realized how much she had grown.

This was the same diva of a cat who used to get so mad at my mom when she would yell at me. When I was in high school I had a room in the basement of our house. My mom would come to get me in the morning for school and if Aurora did not like the way she talked to me, she would chase my mom up the stairs pulling at her tights or sometimes biting her skin. She always had my back. She and my mom were pretty close after I moved out though...lots of nap time for bonding!

This diva of a cat was also a lover of reptiles and spiders. We once had a lizard named Spike. Whenever he was visiting our house during a break from my mom's classroom, she would keep him company by laying on top of his cage.

For the last few years of her life, Aurora spent a lot of time in a basket on top of the refrigerator at my parents house. This location kept her safe from the dogs and allowed her to keep watch of all the comings and goings throughout the day. I told my mom that if she could have talked, we would have never wondered who left the surprise on the floor or who stole the sandwich from the counter ever again.

This diva of a cat took a couple of strolls outside each year. When she was little, I remember Liz and I thought we would get a leash and walk her outside in our neighborhood. We tried the leash and Aurora just would not have it. We dragged her for about a minute before we realized it might be easier to stick to walking our dog instead. She started taking these strolls on her own after awhile. She would wait for the right minute when the door was open and no one was looking and then dart outside to roll on the concrete. This secret darting got her in trouble a couple of times when no one realized she was out and she was forced to spend the night outside.

She might have been the only mammal, animal or human who really tolerated Shout. For those of you who know Shout, you what a challenge that can be. I am sure he will miss his day time napping buddy!

I could go on and on about Aurora. She was a great pet, a lovely animal who even has an older cat, never got fat. The fact of the matter is that we got Aurora when I was 12 and now I am 26. She moved in with us when we lived in our tiny little house on Auburn street. We have long since moved from that house but Aurora has been the constant in both of the houses we have lived in since then. This is the kind of stuff that makes growing up so tough.

I know that Aurora and her diva soul found peace today. There is a special place in heaven for pets...I am sure of it. I know that Lady, Bridget, Taff, Whisper and all of our other buddies who have since passed on will show her the ropes. After all, they owe her one. She never ate cheese on them when they stole snacks or left surprises.

Rest in peace sweet Aurora. You were one cool cat who will be sorely missed.

dixie marie meuser bowman

miss dixie has been a big part of my life since the day i brought her home from the shelter. she was a needy, sick and hurting dog who needed a mom and i was a needy, hurting person who needed a buddy. it was love at first sight!



i have always loved dixie's quirks. she is half rottweiler, half lab and each half of her body displays these traits in an obvious way. the dog has a big ol' butt butt and loves it shake it like its her J-O-B! she is compassionate, caring, and very understanding. she will hug you when you are sad, lick your tears when you are crying and shake her tail feather when you are celebrating! she is patient, very patient and will wait for you by the front door until you finally come home from switzerland two years later. she's a real good girl.


ok...sometimes she stinks. she is actually stinking up the room as i am typing this. she also loves to play in the dirt in our backyard. she can't help it, she's a dog. she has been known to get into the trash any time she has a chance. just last week she came out of the bathroom with a Q-tip hanging out of her mouth like a cigarette. she has no shame and never hides the evidence. we had to purchase a trashcan with a motion censored top in order to help keep her out of the trash in the kitchen. a dog in the trash=a smelly dog with an upset tummy.


she's also a bit sneaky. last week she discovered that with out knowing it, i had left a bag from a trade show that was not mine (they got mixed up in the car) on the floor in the dining room. the bag contained 5 loaves of very fancy bread. as aaron, and i and i guess rex (our faithful german shepard who swears he didn't do it) slept in the room next door, dixie had herself a feast leaving only a couple pieces of plastic as evidence. to top that, right before christmas she used a step stool at the end of the buffet in the dining room to help launch herself on top of the buffet to carefully eat the chocolate kisses out of a very special glass bowl. she ate all the kisses, wrappers and all with out tipping over the bowl or breaking a thing. i would have loved to have seen her in action on that one. she's a pro.


you can see the step stool she used and its location in this picture.







despite all of her quirks, i love her the same. this week i have been very sick and she has not once left my side. she is such a loyal friend and companion. i decided to reward her with a trip to Petsmart to pick out a new toy. She enjoyed the ride in the truck on the way to the store, smelling all of the smells her little nose could take in. She proudly pranced her funny, full of confidence, mutt body past some hoity toity thoroughbreds on our way in the store and made her way to the toy aisle. as we were standing there checking out all of the options, a lady stopped to admire my smelly, sneaky, big booty friend. she said, "Your dog has the prettiest coat." I thanked her, patted dixie on her side and kept looking for the perfect toy. But, it made me happy that someone besides me saw the beauty in my special little friend!

after some thinking...

so basically i have been working on this for quite some time. i missed sharing my random thoughts and happenings like when i was living abroad and never thought i could create something nearly as good living here state side. then, i moved in with aaron...lots of random things that i needed to share. then of course there was savannah and our neighborhood and my reverse culture shock that i am still experiencing more then six months after moving home. then...we got married, and let me tell you, being a wife leads to lots of great things but also some very funny experiences that one
just has to share.

so...after lots of thought, many name changes, and lots of lost time, here it is. mumbo jumbo from a bad mama jama is certain to be an interesting journey for you and me. plus, many of you know that i am bad about writing email and sometimes even worse about returning phone calls so this is another creative way for me to keep in touch.

check back often...or better yet, just subscribe. a little dose of mumbo jumbo in your inbox is certain to be just what the doctor ordered.