We had a beautiful weekend here! I love when spring finally rolls around. It isn’t too hot, the sun is out, outdoors things can be done, and it’s so refreshing. But it is also a lot of damn work!

So Thursday, Maya and I were able to ditch Anna over at Papa’s for her nap and head on a lil shopping trip to Wal-Mart. Her granny had bought her an outfit that was too big and we had to return it. Of course, while we were there I had to go snatch up any deals in the garden section, get some weed n feed and pick up a bday present for a friend of theirs party we had on Saturday. We had a good time though, hangin out just the two of us.

Friday I wanted to get a head start on planting some of the new plants I had gotten, but it was so muddy and gloomy. The girls played in the yard for a couple of hours, but I didn’t get to any gardening. I caught a nap with Anna before Dave got there cause we were going out to dinner and to poker that night.

We arrived at the Legion about 8:30 pm, we didn’t start playing till almost 10pm! And it wasn’t for lack of people, the place was PACKED out, most people I had ever seen playing, but all the tables in the poker room were full. Usually when this happens we move out into the other room and just use regular tables, but they were having plumbing/electric problems of some sort and we couldn’t set up out there. By the time we had a table, they had 3 full tables on the list and no where to put em. Poker went well, I took 2^nd in the first SNG and 4^th in the second. Joe and Dave went along as well. I won $40 for the 2^nd place finish which broke us even after two sngs for both Joe and I. I had played TWO hands in the first sng (AQo and AKc) 4 people were out and I was chip leader after playing TWO hands. My AQ won with A high and I flopped top pair Ks w my AK. Both were big pots because no one can fold when I raise pre-flop. Sometimes I win a big pot, and sometimes they suck out, tonight was a good night I suppose.

One guy at the table gave me a hard time when I raised after 4 ppl limped with my AKc. “You have AQ again do ya??” he says as if AQ isn’t a good hand. I replied “It would be better than that K4 off suite, but you’re welcome to call me to the river with it again.” This is when a new guy, Carlos, struck up a conversation with me. I hadn’t met him before and he said it was his first time playing at the Legion. He looked REALLY young, but said he was 33. He was crackin me up, askin Joe if he got his “Golden Buckeye” card yet, since he had just turned 40 (I don’t know if they have these in other states, but it’s a card you get when you are a senior citizen that gets you discounts at restaurants). We were talking bout poker and how much we played, I said Joe was now my “mistress” and poker my first love, Carlos says “Ahh, he will be ok; he’s busy with his half off meals”. Hahaha what can I say, I’m easily amused. Then his buddy at the other end of the table says “Shut up you Mexican” and this old guy, Bruce, whom is sitting next to me, says “You’re not Mexican!” Bruce is a tall, thin guy in his late 60s early 70s. I have played with him many times at the legion and he is a little slow. Carlos says, “Sure I am” Bruce says, “Well ya don’t look Mexican” … Carlos and I started cracking up.

Ok, ok, ok… back to poker. I was chip leader but by the time we were down to 3 people I was the short stack. The sngs only pay top two spots, $70 to 1^st and $30 to 2^nd and when we were down to three I offered the other two “gentlemen” a split (LOL I was the ss), I thought 50/30/20 was a good deal, and Id be taking the 20, we could get on to another game. But noooooooo. Ok, middle stack goes out, now we are HU. I offer a split again 60/40. I was HU with a guy named Walt who played on Party Poker. Walt had been over valuing his Aces and Kings the whole game and I knew I’d run him over HU, so I offered him a split again, he had a HUGE chip lead and said “Lets play a couple hands out and then we will see”… ok vv/e… his girlfriend was flabbergasted. First hand I double up “Did you still wanna split?” he says. I should have said NO and made him suffer. But I hate shuffling and dealing HU, it takes so damn long and I wanted to play another.

The second game got started after midnight and they shut us down at 1am. So, we played a turbo. Started the blinds higher and they doubled every 10 mins instead of 15. I went out 4^th when the bartender had just came in and said “You have 3 minutes guys” and I looked down and saw QJs and pushed in. The only other hand I had played was AA, but both people to act after me called. Tim, the guy on my left had 67o, and Barbie, the chip leader had A6o. I flopped my queen and Tim rivered a 4 card straight, SIGH! Barbie had been calling peoples all ins with out looking at her cards, so the second table was a pretty crazy game, and don’t forget she was chip leader.

So, Saturday I finally got to get started on the yard work. The girls and I had a good time and things turned out pretty nice, well in the front yard at least. We live on about ¾ an acre and it is a lot of work, A LOT! Our front yard alone has 9 full grown mature trees in it, our back has over 20 (Ill have to count) but it is so hard to maintain. I mean just to mow you have to go pick up sticks for an hour. My back is KILLING me. I planted a ton of hosta and day lilly roots, but I probably won’t see them till next year.

When we moved into this house (3.5 yrs ago) there was no landscaping except for ugly bushes and huge clumps of irises. I enjoy gardening quite a bit, but the past two summers have mainly been getting the beds laid out and mulched and ready to plant. There was so much to just clean up, I’m finally getting around to planting this year. Next year things should really start to turn around and look like they should.

Saturday evening was a birthday party for Yanci, my friend Heathers daughter. She was turning 5 and both of my girls adore her. It is so funny to see our kids together cause they are so much like each of us. I just hope they aren’t as much trouble together as we were when we were teenagers!

She had the party at Young`s Dairy which is a place we frequent in the summer.
They had face painting and hair color spray a piñata and time to spend with the farm animals. The girls had a great time, but at about 7:30 (we arrived at 4pm) my back started giving out on me, I couldn’t figure out why it hurt so bad, then I remembered all the yard work I had done and it was catching up with me. Pics are Maya (left) hitting Pinata, and Anna (right) doing what she does best, hoarding candy.

At least it’s something I enjoy doing. I didn’t realize how bad I’d gotten my back till I went to sweep out the garage (more leaves) this morning and bent over. OUCH!!!

I am supposed to be catching up on work today since I was off all week last week, but my dad (the usual Monday babysitter) had to take the day off because his work schedule was changed.

I did get to play poker for a bit this weekend on FTP. I played a little limit which was horribly unprofitable at the limit I could afford. I wasn’t losing horribly, it is just at .25/.50 LIMIT, it is a true grind.

So, that was my weekend in a nutshell. Hopefully I find something more interesting to talk about this week!!