If We Were Having Coffee... (Vol. 3 - Independence Day)

If we were having coffee on this Independence Day morning, we'd be sitting in my living room in Kentucky.  Typically, I'd suggest sitting out on my deck, but unfortunately it's raining and the rain often blows in on the deck even though it's covered.  I'd sigh and tell you that the forecast is calling for rain all day today. "I'm supposed to attend a cookout at my brother-in-law's, but I'm not sure if it's still a go," I'd say.  My husband has a LARGE family, he's one of seven children, and when the entire family is together, it's a decent sized crowd (35+).  I'm not sure if my brother-in-law's house is big enough to accommodate all of us inside.

For the first time in two weeks, I wouldn't be able to offer you a cup of my mom's coffee since I'm not in the Mountain State anymore.  On any other given Monday, you'd be out of luck if you had your heart set on some home brewed coffee. Remember, I'm not a coffee drinker and, truth be told, I don't know how to make coffee.  Seriously.  I haven't the first clue.  But, anyway... Today, my friend, you'd be in luck!  My husband, R, has the day off from work because of the holiday. He has this fancy French press coffee pot contraption and I know he'd be more than happy to make you a cup.  He enjoys playing barista from time to time.

If you weren't in the mood for coffee, I'd offer you milk, water, or one of the various sodas we have in the garage refrigerator:  Diet Dr. Pepper, Cherry Diet Dr. Pepper, Big K Diet Ginger Ale (I think the generic Kroger brand  tastes better than Diet Canada Dry), Pepsi, Big K Cream Soda, and some blue raspberry Big K sodapop that my step kids fight over.  There's no juice in the house and I would apologize.  You see, a bottle of juice might last 12 hours in my house - and 12 hours is being ridiculously optimistic.  My stepkids don't know the meaning of the word moderation.  Oh, if you're in the mood for something a little stronger, I'd offer you a bottle of Woodchuck Raspberry Cider.  It's really yummy...

If we were visiting this morning over whatever drinks we were drinking, I'd ask you about your weekend.  Did you do anything fun?  If you're an American, I'd ask if you have any July 4th plans. 

I'd then share with you how annoyed I get with fellow Americans who haven't the faintest idea of why July 4th is a holiday.  I mean, seriously, millions of Americans  will celebrate today with trips to the beach and cookouts and fireworks later tonight and many of them haven't a clue as to exactly what they're celebrating.  I'd suggest you search for a series of videos on YouTube called "Americans Who Don't Know Why We Celebrate the 4th of July."  It's comical and deeply depressing at the same time.  But, alas, that's a different discussion for another day.  

You'd ask about my weekend and I'd tell you about going to Churchill Downs Saturday evening with R and some of our friends for the last Downs After Dark of this year's spring meet.  Downs After Dark is Churchill Downs' fancy  term for night racing.  Usually, whenever I go to Churchill Downs, I get outdoor seats.  Saturday night, however, we got fancy schmancy seats at an inside table on Millionaire's Row and our tickets included dinner.  That's right... We were hobnobbing with the rich and famous!  LOL!    Well, not really...  The rich and famous are only there for major events like the Kentucky Oaks, Kentucky Derby, or Breeder's Cup.  

I'd tell you how even though the atmosphere was uber nice that the upgrade in our environment didn't enhance my wagering abilities at all.  Nope.  I went 0-3 on the races I  bet.  To add insult to injury, I took a liking to a horse that came to a complete stop as she was being escorted from the stables to the paddock area.  She did this several times, giving her handlers a fit.  It was as if she was saying, "Oh, no!  I want nothing to do with this!  Take me back to the barn, fellas! It's late and I just wanna go to sleep!"  Amused by her spunk, I considered placing a bet on her, but decided against it since I was batting .000 for the night. As luck would have it, she won.    Had I bet on her, I wouldn't have won much but I would've broke even for the evening.  But, despite my losses, R and I had fun.  We've never celebrated our anniversary at Churchill Downs before.

You'd ask if Saturday was my anniversary and I'd tell you no, that it was actually yesterday.  We just celebrated it early since Downs After Dark was on Saturday. I'd share with you that R and I adopted a tradition several years ago that we eat somewhere we've never eaten before for our anniversary.  Neither one of us had ever eaten dinner at Churchill Downs before, so the tradition continues!

"It's hard to believe it's been thirteen years," I'd say.  It seems just like yesterday that I  stood underneath that white gazebo by the edge of the aqua and turquoise waters of the Caribbean and said "I do" to that young, funny redhead whose hair is now more gray than red.  "Kenny Chesney was right when he warned us to not blink in that song of his," I'd say.  "Life truly goes faster than you think..."

You'd notice the picture of R and myself on the credenza.  "That was taken when we got married," I'd say.  I'll never forgot how hot it was.  R said it was "hotter than the face of the sun!"  By the time that picture was taken, I had sweated off most of the makeup that Rosalinda had applied.  "Who's Rosalinda?" you'd ask and I'd tell you that she was the sweet lady in the resort's spa who knew very little English and didn't subscribe to the philosophy that less is more when it came to makeup.  "I looked like a clown," I'd continue, laughing at the memory. It was so hot, by the time we returned to our room after the ceremony and having pictures made, most of my face had melted down my neck into my dress.  

"If I had it to do over," I'd say, "I would've skipped the makeup part and just had Rosalinda do my  hair.  I also would have worn sensible shoes - what in the world was I thinking with those dumb heels?  And, I would've put R in a short sleeve shirt.  It was 90+ degrees after all..."  

If R was standing within an earshot of our conversation, he'd chime in by saying, "Amen!"  I'd smile and tell you that R was a great sport.  "My fair-skinned, 'I burn at the thought of the sun,' redhead let me drag him closer to the equator just to get married."  If that's not love, I don't know what is.  He's been a great partner to share life's adventures with.  He's really more than I deserve.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As always, thank you for stopping by!  Happy Independence Day to all my American readers!

Linking up with Diana @ Part Time Monster 

#weekendcoffeeshare

&
Mackenzie @ Reflections From Me

West Virginia, my beloved home state, was hit by devastating floods on June 23. An estimated 1,200 homes were damaged or destroyed.  Many businesses, schools, and churches were also affected. As the waters receded and people returned to their homes, many found their homes and everything in them, completely washed away. To date, the waters took the lives of 23 people.

West Virginians are strong, resilient people who rise up in the face of adversity. But, even the strongest folks could use some prayers from time to time. I ask that you remember the flood victims who have lost their homes, their livelihoods, their belongings, and especially those who have lost loved ones.  I sincerely thank you.

If you are interested, fellow West Virginia native and country music star Brad Paisley, has established a GoFundMe account in which the donations will be distributed for flood relief through his charity, The Brad Paisley Foundation.  For more information, you can read about it in this article on The Tennessean website, on Brad Paisley's Facebook page, and/or on the GoFundMe page he launched on Wednesday June 29, 2016.  #wvrising (photo via)