Finally got my beach fix.....and another addition to the family

I went to Orange Beach, Alabama last week and had a great time. Lots of walking, lots of ocean, lots of seafood and beer, and lots of relaxing. We also watched fishing from the pier and went to Pensacola to the Naval Base. I saw dolphins and lots of sting rays.

So before I leave for my trip, my daughter's car starts making a horrific noise. Sounded like a belt issue. I drop it at a shop known for their honesty, but the guy is on holiday. AAGGGH. So I take the car to NTB as I'm hoping to get it fixed before I leave for my trip.  NTB tells me it will be $1600. I  need an idle pully, a/c condenser and compressor, power steering belt and some other belts. Oh and we have no problems with the a/c so I was shocked by all of the a/c equipment we needed.  

Well this is a 12-year old Nissan with dings, dents, chipped window, and ugly as Pelosi. Long story short, I left my 17-year old daughter my BMW to drive while I went on vacation. Needless to say, I was a little worried about that all week long. Oh, and by the way, I took her car to the honest mechanic when I got home. A bolt holding a bracket for a belt had fallen into the engine. They took out the loose bolt and put a new one in and charged me $75. The car is quiet again.

To top it off, the day I leave a big storm hits Frisco. That morning I had a tree service out trimming my huge tree in the backyard because it is close to my house. Thank goodness for the timing on that. Anyway, that night, a huge limb breaks off of a tree in the front yard (not close to the house), but obviously close to the cable....I have had no cable or Internet for a week now.  The guys came out and said they need the big boys in a bucket truck.I'm hoping they arrive today. I'm reading library books and using RedBox.

So I had a great trip. I come home and meet my kids at their work. They ask me if I have been home yet and I say no. They start grinning. I keep asking them what they did to my house while I was gone and they keep saying nothing. My boyfriend, who is obviously smarter than me and  knows my daughter better, says "What kind of animal did you bring home?" Well, I have a new kitty. She is so cute. She was born under a neighbor's house and covered in fleas.

There is something so cathartic about sitting on the back patio in the shade with my daughter, listening to music, me having a glass of wine, while both of us are pulling fleas off the kitty. Fortunately, Zena and Billie Jean seem okay with the new addition.