I met Jen over a year ago while I was again visiting Floozie in Savannah. I got an email from her that she was coming to Savannah to eat at Lady and Sons and could we possibly meet up? Hmm...Miss Paula's food and Jen too! What an irresistible combination. Great I responded....give me your phone number and we will hook up. Just one problem.....Jen is deaf and can't use the phone. Hmmm.....how about smoke signals? Carrier pigeons? Flare guns?

Praise the Lord for wireless internet. We were able to hook up at Lady and Sons without any difficulty. Jen is 5'11 and is a stand out in any crowd! Jen reads lips as easily as I read menus so communication was not a problem as long as you look at her when you are speaking. Floozie and I instantly fell in love with her and adopted her on the spot! ( Yes, we are old enough to be her momma, thank you for asking!)



So of course it was only a matter of time before we could reconnect with our girl. What a thrill to spend 5 days with her. (This is our impression of a wide mouth bass....pretty realistic huh?) Throw Melli in the mix, add Susan and bubbly Baba and stand back Savannah!


I , of course, took it upon myself to make sure Jen knew what was going on at all times. Together we invented our own sign language which usually involved one or both of us breaking into gales of laughter at the most inappropriate times. Since Jen reads lips I could mouth the words without any volume and only she would "get it". ( Did I ever tell you that the bloggin babes can't stand being left out of any joke? )


We went on the Savannah Trolley Tour. The guide was a riot but it was difficult for Jen to read her lips as she was always turning trying to point out various buildings along the route. So I took it upon myself to give Jen a private tour. Mine was soooo much better but it of course involved lots of inappropriate laughter. Jen speaks really very clearly but has no idea how loud she is speaking especially in Saint John's Church....it involved alot of "Flappin" on my part to get her attention.

I tried to read lips and was amazed at how much concentration it took and how draining it was. I have picked up some really bad habits now. I can only talk if I use my hands in greatly exaggerated movements and I don't speak unless the person is looking directly at me. I didn't realize I was doing that until Melli looked at me curiously and said, "What?" Then I realized I was staring at her, waiting for her to turn around so I could remind her to put her seat belt on.


Jen has an incredible sense of humor. We were laughing at her because she was walking backwards to catch what we were saying to each other. So she put her sunglasses on the back of her head so she could walk and still "watch us". Nothing seems to slow her down....I found myself tiptoeing around so as not to wake her in the morning. She found that hilariously funny. Melli and I tried to get her attention when she came to Baba's front door. We had come through the garage door to meet her and her back was too us. We were jumping up and down, flapping our arms and shouting to no avail. We tickled ourselves with how ridiculous we looked, I was seriously thinking of hitting her with a pine cone before she turned around on her own (probably because we caused the ground to shake while we were jumping and
flapping!).


Jen looks divine in her hat at the Tea Room. It was such a girly thing!
We think she's a natural from all the tea parties she has had with her own girls. Did I tell you that Jen is the mother of 5! How amazing is that!


Whether going around in circles on the Mall Carousel or chasing after Melli, Jen never lets her disability slow her down. She is warm, caring, sensitive and loving. Being around Jen is like being with my own daughters and it was really hard to say good-bye to her.

This is my all time favorite picture of our little Punk Rocker (if only for a night). She will be undergoing another CI surgery on November 5th. Keep her in your prayers.....she should hear what she's been missing!

Labels: Blogger Babes, Jen

I must admit of all the blogger babes the one I was most interested in meeting was Susan (probably because she was the only one I didn't know personally!) I've been reading Susan's blog Learning for a Lifetime for several years now and felt like I already knew her. The nice thing about bloggers is that they never make you guess what they are thinking they tell you right up front unlike other acquaintances .

I knew she was the mother of 4 boys (which is probably enough to qualify for sainthood!), teaches literacy in the public schools of Tampa, is a preachers' wife, has a remarkable sense of humor, loves seafood, traveling and loves adventure. She's also got a great sense of direction (unlike me, who has no internal compass and never knows where we are at any given moment!) Susan had her mini van which held all 6 of us so was the designated "Wheel Man".


Susan has raised responsible sons that were quite concerned that their mother was driving off to meet some crazy strangers that might be "axe murderers". Consequently we decided to stage this picture so they would know that they were right to be concerned! Nothing like being attacked in the Party Store with plastic knives, chains and swords and axes.



Maybe it's because she is the mother of 4 sons that she was totally cool with whatever scheme Melli could improvise. Yep, that's Susan (in the upper right hand corner) showing off her "pull up" ability developed from working out with her personal trainer! (I'm the one taking the picture with 6 cameras while watching out for the security guard.)



With all that testosterone in her household Melli insisted we glam up and do a something very girly . So here we are at the Savannah Tea room with hats, gloves, and lace fans. Guess who doesn't like tea? If you said Susan....score 4 points. The tomato and feta cheese quiche was divine though.




Ever the teacher and organizer Susan led this crazy bunch on our" field trips" (Now class, hold on to the rope, no wandering around in the store and don't hit your neighbor!)



She learned how to fold fitted sheets from Tootsie (Floozie's Neighbor) ,
learned how to navigate in downtown Savannah, and even endured our attempt to help cool her down from hot flashes. (Do you think the fan is big enough?) She is delightful, clever, well read and articulate. I am sure we will always be friends and I'm sure I will be able to learn from Susan for a lifetime!

Labels: Blogger Babes, Susan

It's very early in the morning and the entire household is asleep. I should be too as the Mellinator and I hit the road today (in just a few hours!) For me, the last 10 days have flown by and now the Blogger Babe Blast is coming to an end. What a fabulous time we have had and believe me it has been well documented! There will be many more posts about our Savannah trip in the weeks to come but here are some of the observations I have made.

1. Bloggers come in all shapes and sizes! We have various technical skills and backgrounds and all of us love photo opportunities and a chance to be a little crazy (whenever the situation demands it!)
We all fell in love with Baba who is full of surprises and totally delightful. She kept up with Melli and added to the merriment. We think she is the 'Bee's knees" and the Queen Mother of Savannah!

2. We learned that you don't have to take the same shot on every one's camera and that a friendly stranger is only too happy to take a group shot. We also learned that when you share pictures you literally have too many choices.

3. I learned that trying to cram too many activities in a limited time only exhausts everyone and makes for cranky Diva's. (Trust me, it's not a pretty sight...insert black mail picture here!)

4. I learned that as much as we already know about each other we all loved having "face time" and some one on one time. Susan was the only blogger I had not met and was the "biggest surprise and delight to me!"

Susan was the designated driver as her car was big enough to transport us all. She's quite the wheel man and an excellent get-away driver. Don't let that sweet smile fool you....she has quite a keen sense of humor and excellent comedic timing.

5. I learned to never "underestimate" the quiet members of the group because they will always surprise you when you least expect it and there is such a thing as "OVER SHARING" which is the sign Susan and I are demonstrating in this picture!

6. I learned that good food is an essential element in a good blog meet and some one will always have to take a picture of it before we can eat!

This was our lunch at the tea room. tomato and feta cheese quiche with scones, fruit, and pastries. (Even the flowers are edible!)

Ready, set, Dig into the dessert. Shared calories, shared dessert, shared fun!

7. I learned to always expect the unexpected, bring more money than you think you'll need .... ( you'll need it for shopping, food, bail and "hush money".


Jen rocks out with "purple neon" hair and my Daisy Yellow Diamond Sunglasses....She makes a cute "punker" if only for a night!

8. Old friends only get better and sweeter. What would my life be without my "Floozie" who opened her heart and her home to each of us. She is the perfect hostess and my best friend. (I've never been so care for or fussed over!!!)

9. Never show a look of surprise or fear around the Mellinator.....it only feeds her into more outrageous behavior! Always allow extra time for Melli to climb on something and be prepared to act quickly before the security guards come. (I don't know who that red haired woman was officer!)

10. Always leave the place wanting more.... I can hardly wait till next year. Until then, Melli and I and on the "Road again....catch you in the Daisy Patch!"

Labels: Blogger Babes

When we last left our heroes......Melli was being mauled by a bear at the Bass Pro Shop in the Savannah Mall . (Some people just can't keep their hands off fur coats!)



Jen was going around in circles on the Carousel being chased by two suspicious looking characters.....


Baba had dyed her hair so she would fit in with the rest of the drama queens without drawing any suspicion.


Floozie was making sure all of us were fed and fussed over ....( ever the wonderful hostess and party planner!)

........and Susan and Jen were trying to pass as Country Girls from Sunnybrook Farm!

News on the internet had linked these Blogger Babes to various sitings and misdemeanors so I (as an investigative reporter donned a costume in hot pursuit!)


I caught up with the Drama Queens at the Savannah Tea Room where they had passed themselves off as "respectable ladies". True to form, they were all in hats, gloves, lace fans and proper manners......so of course they were easy to spot among the casually clothed tourists.














I caught up with them on Tour.....they had slipped into a church (I'm sure for prayer or the air conditioning!)


but before I could question them they had slipped onto a Trolley and blended in with the tour group....I caught glimpses of them now and then but they seemed intend on touring. Reports on the street are that they will be heading to Tybee Island tomorrow for seafood and the beach. More tomorrow......film at 11!

Labels: Blogger Babes, Savannah