Back to Hawai'i

*** Before I get back to my trip, I thought I would give a quick update on my cousin. She is doing well, I went over yesterday after work and helped her finish up packing. We will start actually moving her out tomorrow afternoon. Don't know how much longer she plans on staying in the apartment, although she has to be out by Thursday. Continue to pray for her, as she has a long rough road ahead of her.***



Alright, where was I? Oh, yes... Kaua'i day 2... My favorite day on that island. I went tubing...The company that did the excursion was Kaua'i Backcountry Adventure. It was so much fun. You tube down these old irrigation ditches that were hand dug in the late 1800's. The 5 tunnels you go through are also dug by hand (no explosives). The ditches bring the water down from Mt. Wai'ale'ale, to the sugar cane fields. It was fun, and I would love to do it again.





Here I am decked out in my stylish helmet complete with flashlight.



One of our guides could have easily been my cousin C's long lost brother. He looked like him and also had the as sense of humor as him. I have to share this with you... The Hawaiian word for appetizer is pupu, the word for beef is pipi, and the word for chicken is moa. So you can have a pipi pupu, and then moa pupu. I am seriously wondering if there is some relation there, it's scary... Here is a picture of him... (he's the one on sitting up on the beam).



After we got out of the water, we went to a little picnic area where we had a snack and there was a little swimming hole we could get in if we wanted to. It was pretty.



We sailed out of Kaua'i early that afternoon. We sailed past the Napali coast (the north shore of Kaua'i). It is absolutely gorgeous.




While we were sailing along the coast, they told us to keep an eye out for whales as they had spotted a couple out ahead of us. (I was there right at the end of the migration period for the humpback whales). Unfortunately, I did not spot any, but I hope to go over there again so I could see some.

Well, that is all for Kaua'i. I will continue with it soon (possibly tomorrow)... Next stop, Hilo on the Big Island of Hawai'i.

A Quick Detour ...

I need to make a short detour from reliving my vacation. Although I would much rather stay on the vacation subject. This last week has been a little tough and I need to ask for some prayer. First off, my cousin A... her boyfriend was arrested Monday night for domestic violence. A is doing ok and the baby is safe. J is still in jail, and the earliest he will probably be able to get out is May 29. And I am not sure he will get out then. Please pray for A, that she will stay strong and resist any urges she may have to go back to him (as many domestic violence victims do). Pray that she will see that she can raise that beautiful little girl of hers without him. That she will lean on the family for support.

Also, please pray for my grandfather. We just found out that he has bladder cancer, and according to what my parents told me, it is aggressive. Pray that the treatments the doctors have put together will work, that God will work a miracle. It seems as though I have a lot of people in my life lately who are dying or getting sick. We tragically lost our children's ministry director at our church to a massive heart attack, 2 coworkers are very ill with cancer (neither are doing well at all and I would not be surprised if they did not make it through the year), my grandfather on my mom's side (actually my mom's step-dad) has cancer and I am not sure how he has been doing, but the last I heard, it was not good. I am almost afraid to ask. And now my dad's dad... this is the hardest one of all. I have been very lucky that I still have all my grandparents. And now I have 2, who are very ill.

So pray for these things. Hopefully I can continue my revisit to my vacation either this weekend or early next week. I will probably be helping my cousin pack up and move out of her apartment for at least part of the weekend.

Kaua'i Day 1 April 30th

Sorry it took me a few days to get to continue on my trip. I have been exhausted all week, never thought jetlag would knock me out this bad, especially when it is only a 4 hour difference.

Our first stop was on the island of Kaua'i, the Garden Isle. It is the oldest of the Hawaiian islands and has no live volcano on it. The wettest spot in the world is here on the island, on Mt. Wai'ale'ale, this stop receives between 450 and 500 inches of rain a year.




We were lucky enough to spend about 2 days on the island.
The first day, I took a trip to Waimea Canyon. It is called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It does resemble the Grand Canyon but it's not as big. It was really pretty though.




On our way back from the canyon, we stopped at the shore where there were some blowholes, where the sea is pushed up through lava tubes. It really is pretty.




We spotted a sea turtle popping his head up in the surf, but I didn't get any pictures of him. At the spot with blowholes, I was able to get a picture that shows you how many chickens run wild on the island. When Hurricaine Iniki came through the islands in 1992, it destroyed a chicken farm on Kaua'i releasing the chickens which have run wild since.




We made a couple other stops along the way, and then back to the ship. Ready for day 2 in Kaua'i.

Honolulu April 28th and 29th

Okay, so I didn't get into Honolulu until about 8:30 on Saturday night but I was traveling a good share of the day so I am going to count it. I got in, rented my car and made my way to the hotel. I stayed at the Aqua Palms and Spa. It is not on the beach but it is definately within walking distance. Parking was $15 a day so I would probably not suggest it if you will have a car and stay there for an extended period of time, but the room rate that I got (AAA rate) was really great, at lesst than $100, you can't ask for much more in Honolulu. I had a great nights sleep (thanks to a really comfy bed) and when I got up I stepped out onto the balcony and much to my surprise, I was able to see both Diamond Head and the beach.




I took my time getting ready and then headed out to Pearl Harbor. At the USS Arizona memorial, they had a small museum and gift shop. You then go in and see a short film about the history of Pearl Harbor and the attack on December 7th. Then you take the shuttle boat out to the memorial. It is really pretty and calm out there, even with all the people.




I then headed off to the ship to set sail for the rest of the islands. They had a sailing away party with Hula dancers and music and also leis and a barbecue on the pool deck.




We said Aloha to Honolulu about 8:00 and headed off for Kaua'i. Stay tuned...

I Made it Home...

Well, after a very long night of traveling, I finally made it back to Denver about 11:30 am on Monday. It is now almost 1am on Tuesday, and I just now got my pictures loaded onto the computer. I would try to get a post started but I have to be up for work... not looking forward to it and I will have my pictures from my waterproof cameras when I get a chance to sit down to do a post tomorrow night. It might take me a couple days to get it all out but I will do my best. Until then... Aloha.

Aloha, Colorado! Aloha, Hawaii!!

Well, in about 13 hours, I will be taking off headed for Hawaii!!! I still can't believe I am actually going. It's just so surreal. I have always wanted to go, but I really don't think I thought it would actually happen... But here I am, finishing up some things tonight before I head to bed. I will get up and finish last minute things in the morning before leaving for the airport. I doubt I will have a chance to update while I am gone, but I will definately post when I get back with pictures. Until then... ALOHA!!

A

Well, I meant to write this post a week ago but time got away from me. My lunch with A was nice. I think it is definately a step in the right direction to heal our relationship. Oh, and can I just say, Libby Jo is the cutest little baby girl. I miss her... I am hoping to try to make our lunches at least a monthly thing... that is until A leaves for the military and wherever that may take her... I only wish that we were closer before she was making this big change. There are still some things pending with her and I am still going to ask everyone to pray for her to make the right choices in the next few months.

It's Getting Closer

Wow... I can't believe that in less than 2 weeks I will be in Hawaii!  It just seems so unreal to me.  I really need to start giving some thought to what I am going to take with me and such.  I want to pack as lightly as possible as I will have no one to help me lug my bags around the airport.  I need to call the airline to check on somethings for my flights, I need to figure out how much money I will have to spend while I am there.  I feel like there are another million things I need to do before I go but right now I can't think of them.  I should start making a list... In the meantime, I need to get some sleep.  Goodnight!

Something to try

Okay, here's what you do...

Go to Google.
Click on maps
Click on Get Directions
From New York, New York
To Paris, France
Read line 23....

I saw this and I had to see what it said.

Happy Happy Easter (a Little Late)

Hope everyone had a very happy Easter! Mine was very good. After church Sunday morning, we went to my grandparents for lunch. The whole family was there (eventually). Everyone except my cousins A and J were there for lunch. A made it a bit later in the afternoon, and she brought Libby Jo (see previous post for pictures of the cutie), and J had to work so he didn't show up until later in the evening, but it was really nice to be able to see him again. We don't get to see eachother very often, so it is always nice when we get the chance. Seeing A was really great. Our relationship has been very strained for the last few years. Libby Jo was born in January (until Sunday, I had only seen her once) and I hadn't seen A since Thanksgiving. She and I got a chance to have casual conversation, which is much more than we have had in a few years. I think we really made a jump when she suggested that we have lunch this week (I work only a couple blocks from where she lives). So we (A, Libby Jo and I) have a lunch date on Wednesday and I am really looking forward to it. Also, I am finally working on getting all 5 of us grandkids (and the new great grandbaby) together for a portrait. There is a bit of a scheduling challenge (it's either in the next 2 weeks or not until the end of August) but we will eventually get it together. I hope to get a nice print from this, have it framed and give it to our grandparents for Christmas. I am going to end this post now, with a couple prayer requests. First my cousin J is having surgery on his shoulder in a couple weeks, please pray that his shoulder can be fixed and that he will have fast healing. Also, A is facing some life changing decisions in the next 6 weeks or so. Pray that she will choose the right path and that those of us who love her can help and support her through these changes.

Libby Jo

Just got some pictures today of Libby... Wanted to share them.

Pray for little Brea

Recently I have found a website of a family that brought their daughter Brea home from China about 6 months ago. This darling little girl became very ill and has been in the hospital since February. The family lives in Louisiana but Brea has been in Arakansas Childrens Hospital in the Cardio Vascular ICU for quite sometime. They have truly relied on God to take care of this precious child through many ups and downs. Today, she received a new heart and so far has been doing well. I just want to reach out to anyone who may stumble across this blog and ask you to pray. For Brea, her family, her doctors and the family who lost a child so that Brea could received her new heart.

You have GOT to be kidding me!!!!

This is what it has been doing all day....

I was laying in bed this morning trying to wake up and hear the weatherman say that there is 6-7 inches of snow on the ground and I literally said... "Seven inches, are you kidding me!?"
Actually this isn't all that abnormal for March here. March is actually on average our snowiest month of the year and so far this March, we had only had 2 inches of snow on the ground (average is a little over 11 inches) which actually fell the night of Feb 28. So we technically had not had any snow this month. Here we are the end of the month... and I thought maybe we got lucky this year. Yeah right. It is supposed to be snowy/rainy through tomorrow. Not looking forward to having to brush my car off again in the morning. I do have to say... at least the roads weren't icy today. We'll see what they are like in the morning.

Do You Think They Do This At Home?

Alright, I am ready to pull my hair out of my head... You see, I work in an office that is dominated by men. I workin in the office with 2 other women and then there is my boss. He drinks a lot of coffee which in and of itself is normal. However, when he doesn't finish his cup, instead of walking down the hall to the bathroom sink or even the drinking fountain, he dumps it in his trashcan! Anyway, back to the story, we process a lot of paperwork through our office which is important and we have to keep it all on file or it could cause a lot of problems. I won't go into a lot of details, but yesterday one of our files was removed from the office and it should have been returned to us. This afternoon, we realized that it had never been returned. Off I went to track it down. I talked to the person who had taken it from the office and she told me that she didn't realize we needed it back because "they were just copies." Anyway, she had passed it on to someone else and she didn't know where they were. She got hold of him and he said he THREW THEM IN THE TRASH!!!! I just about exploded when I heard this. Fortunately, the janitorial service is pretty bad and they had not emptied the trash cans in the office. We pull out the trash can and sure enough... there's our paperwork... DRIPPING WITH COFFEE!!!! To top it all off, this is not the first time we have found paperwork in the trash covered with coffee. My question is where did they ever get the idea that this was okay and do they do this at home?!? My goodness...

Things to do...

I made my reservations for my shore excursions on my Hawaiian cruise. I am really excited about them too. In Kauai, the first day, I am going Tubing on the Hanamaulu Ditch system an then the second day, I will be going to Waimea Canyon (the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific"). In Hilo, I will be taking a tour of an area that was destroyed by a lava flow in 1990. The stop in Kona, I will be renting a car for the day and get to drive around and see some of the sights on my own and probably spend some time just sitting on the beach. Maui is the one I am really looking forward to. First, I will be snorkeling at Molokini Crater. Hopefully I will get to see some sea turtles. Then the second day in Maui, will be a really early morning. I will be up at 3:30am on my way to the top of Haleakala, a dormant volcano where I will get to watch the sunrise. Then the rest of the day will be on my own and I will probably be taking some time to nap that day. So, just a little over a month to go and I will be off to paradise. I have already started to give some thought to what I want to do next year. I would really like to make it to Europe (Paris/London) but I am seriously considering taking a couple of small trips and driving around some areas of the country where I have never gotten to see. I have lots of time to consider those plans.

Friday's Feast

Haven't feasted for awhile so I thought I would partake this week. Will try
to get a regular post up soon.

Appetizer
What is your usual bedtime? Do you like that, or would you rather it be
different?

I try to be in bed by 10:30, but rarely am I asleep before 11:30, although
lately it has been 1am or later. Not a good thing. I really should be
asleep by 10:30.

Soup
When it comes to advice, do you give more or receive more?

I give more.

Salad
Describe a memorable meal you've had.

That would have to be the dinner I had the night of my Junior prom. Most
people would cringe at this, but I had a candlelit dinner with my boyfriend,
which was prepared by my grandmother (my whole family, and his mother, were
in the house at the time too). It was really special.

Main Course
Name a work of fiction that affected the way you think about something.

I don't do a lot of thinking and analyzing when I read. Nothing really
stands out in my mind.

Dessert
What is your favorite type of fruit juice?

I regularly drink apple juice, but I really like pear juice and Mango.

ALOHA!!!!

So what I thought would not be happening... is actually happening!!! I am so excited. I got a steal on a Hawaiian islands cruise in addition to the steal on airfare to Honolulu!!! I leave for Honolulu on April 28th and after 7 nights cruising around the Hawaiian islands, I will be back home on May 7th! I can't believe it! My travel agent was even in awe at the prices I found.

Big Fat NO for Hawaii

So it's not going to be Hawaii... too expensive but I did find the place I will hopefully stay at when I can afford it. I did get my airline reservations for July. I am still in need for something for the spring... I will figure something out eventually, hopefully soon though. Before I know it, spring will be there.

I am a Traveloholic...

I think I have a SERIOUS problem!!! I am looking for trips again. I know I will be in FL for the 4th of July, however, I do not have my tickets purchased. I need to make a decision. Airfare is going up and I need to do it quick, but I am wanting to wait in hopes that fares will drop. Not likely with my travel dates though. So I should book them tonight. We'll see. I am wanting to plan something for the spring (around the end of April) and am leaning toward Hawaii. But if I go to Hawaii, I want a nice hotel on the beach, not on Waikiki (too many people for me thank you). I would really like to stay at the Turtle Bay Resort on the north shore. But they are really expensive (about $250/night) and I still would need plane tickets into Honolulu (expensive, yet again) and am thinking if I am on the north shore, I really should get a rental car also... So this trip I am fantasizing about could cost me $2000 before I even get there!!!! It probably will not happen. I have also been considering another cruise... I have looked at some Caribbean sailings and am right now looking at Alaska (that would be early May). My fall trip, I have no idea right now, I just know I need to go somewhere. I get restless if I don't go somewhere every couple months. I think I have it down for my future plans... I will take trips in Jan/Feb, Apr/May, Jul/Aug, Oct/Nov... I have the vacation time to do it but I don't know how long I will have the $$$ to do it. I am just hoping that when I have children, they will keep me occupied enough that I will need feel the need to go somewhere all the time. I do want to travel with them though, I just know I won't be able to 4 times a year... unless I win the lottery and I am set for life with lots of extra spending money. Time will tell...

I was trying to check a price on a cruise to Alaska (Vancouver to Seattle) but the RCCL site is not working right... I will probably check tomorrow.

Pictures

It's too late to really write a post, but I leave you with some pictures from my vacation... I could look at these all night and the rest of the week since it is cold and snowy. YUCK!

I'm Back

I made it home from the cruise. I update with pictures tomorrow (hopefully)!

It's a Boy!!

L had her baby boy early Tuesday morning!!! M shares a birthday with C!!! I probably won't get to see him till after I get back from my trip but I suppose it will do. As L said, he will be here forever... Just thought I would post that on here.

Worked on packing tonight, not doing too bad. Still have to iron a couple things, and get the toiletries packed. I am ready for it. It is still snowing out. Started up again this afternoon around 2:30 or so. I can't for that week with a guarantee of NO SNOW!!!!!

Friday's Feast

Here we go.. on time this week...

Appetizer
What was one of the fashion fads when you were a teenager?

Two pairs of slouch socks (preferably colored) with the pants folded and tucked in or the pants tight-rolled (WHAT WERE WE THINKING!?!)

Soup
Name one thing you think people assume about you when they first meet you

That I am quiet and laid back.

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how hard do you work?

6... It all depends on my mood...

Main Course
If you were given a free 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl to sell anything you currently own, what would you advertise?

My pretty extensive book collection.

Dessert
Fill in the blank:

I love to snuggle up in bed when it is cold.

Finally Some Relief

Well, I will no longer have to worry about stress at school, I withdrew from classes today. It was not the easiest decision to make though. I was caught in a place where tomorrow is the last day to withdraw and get tuition refunded. However, if I just dropped the one class that I loathe, I would lose my student loan and would have to pay for my other class basically immediately. I am already out the money for the books and supplies which I already bought, I really couldn't come up with the extra money to pay for the class. So I dropped both of them. That is what was the really hard part. One of them I was happy to drop. As a matter of fact, I wrote emails to the instructor telling her that esentially she was the reason I decided to drop the class. It is a huge brick taken off my back. I was so tense last night that I didn't sleep well. Tonight should be better since I don't have to worry about that.


See this? This is the forecast of the rest of the week. Saturday, we fly to Florida for the cruise. I am so looking forward to this trip. I have walked around work all week (the whole two days so far) like an incoherent zombie. It has not been pretty.

So vacation is in 5...4...3...

Why didn't you say so?

I have been on such an emotional roller coaster lately. I don't quite understand. I have always been a bit of an emotional person but this is much more that usual. It is really stressing me out. I haven't heard from my friend who was supposed to go in for induced labor today. I am hoping everything is alright. She had some other complications so I just hope that she is have a long labor and nothing went wrong. I may try to call her at the hospital tomorrow afternoon. Maybe she will call me in the morning and I won't have to worry anymore.

Work has just been stressful lately. I am so over it right now. I go through these phases where I am just ready to quit and find a new job. But I really don't want to lose the job security and I would be hard pressed to find another job with the great benefits that I have now. So after a long day at work, I had to go to school... the instructor I have on Mon and Wed is a total airhead in my opinion. Fist off, I will be gone next week (on my cruise, woohoo!), which this trip was planned long before I even considered going back to school. Anyway, I talked to her the first night of class about me being gone, and she told me that she would see what she could come up with for me to make up the missed classes (as well as I wanted to know what I would miss as far as assignments, so I could be prepared for when I returned to class the following Monday). So I sent her an email over the weekend to remind her about me being gone and that I was still waiting for her to provide me with that information. I didn't hear back from her (she claims to be really good about responding to email, but both emails I have sent her, have gone pretty much unanswered until late the night before our next class and then this last one until we were in class. She then proceeded to pretty much blast me in front of the entire class about being gone and that she was unhappy about it and on and on... I was so furious about that... I do have to say though, she then gave us her extra credit assignment she would accept for the semester. It seems like it will be pretty easy and she is giving it a pretty hefty point value for extra credit. Then on top of that, last Monday we were given a project to work on which is due next Monday. Since I am going to be gone, I was planning on having it ready to turn in on Wednesday. This assignment was originally given to us with limited guidelines, and she told us to just go with it, she wanted to see what we came up with. So I worked my butt off this weekend trying to get as much done as possible since I also have work and class tomorrow... tonight when she heard people starting to freak out about how they didn't understand the assignment etc, she decided to give us more "guidance" on it. People start asking questions and she starts getting more specific about what she wants, and on and on... now I have to practically start all over, as what I have done already, doesn't meet her "guidelines." Ahhhhh!!!!!! I just want to write her a scathing email telling her what I think of what she has done, but I have to keep reminding myself, this is the lady who will be grading me for the rest of the semester (this is only the 3rd week of classes). So I walk out of there absolutely furious, again wondering what I was thinking when I decided to go back to school... This just topped it off...I am driving home, my mind on school (and my friend, who at this point, I am starting to worry about a little bit), I am on a dark state highway, I look down and I am going 13 over the speed limit, and no sooner do I notice this and go to slow down, I also notice a sheriff's deputy sitting there, and I know he is working traffic enforcement... Sure enough, I pass him and he pulls up behing me with lights, pulling me over... I am going to get a ticket. Although at the same time, I am hoping he will check my driving record and notice that it is spotless... I hand him my registration, insurance and license and proceed to apologize to him. He goes back to his car to do the normal driving and warrant clearance. I know he is writing me a ticket because it is taking too long if he is just going to give me a warning. He walks back up with his clipborad (with a ticket attached to it, for yours truly, he asks for my home phone number (which I willingly give him), then he asks me where I work... this is where the evening perks up... I work for a local police department (this is another reason why I would like to stay at my current place of employment :-)) He just looks up at me with a look of frustration... asks me what I do there (I work in the records office), and then he says to me while handing me back my papers without a ticket, "Why didn't you say something earlier?" "Sorry, sir." "Just drive safe..." Thank you Deputy Compton, you made my day... actually it was probably more like YOU MADE MY WEEK!!!! (just for the record, I know I could have probably saved myself some time and stress wondering if I would be getting a ticket if I HAD said something earlier (we all take care of our own), and I seriously considered this as I saw those red and blue flashy lights pull out behind me, but I also know that I probably really did deserve that ticket and would have taken it. There is a bit of an ethical question with that too... I will tell them if they ask but I don't know if I could consciously try to use that to get out of something I really truly deserve).... So once again, THANK YOU Deputy Compton... He is my angel this week and I will jump through hoops for him if he ever needed anything from our office. So I actually pulled back out onto the highway with a smile on my face and a chuckle in my throat...

I posted this on my blog here a couple months ago, I was feeling a little down today so I watched it and it made me smile... Thought this could lift someone else's spirits also... Enjoy!

Friday's Feast

I have been pretty busy lately, so I have missing a few Friday Feast's. This one is a few days late but at least it is here....

APPETIZER:
If you could take lessons to learn any musical instrument, which would you want to learn?

I have always regreted not sticking with the violin when I was much younger, I would love to pick that back up.

SOUP:
Have you ever mistaken a person for someone else?

Just on the phone.

SALAD:
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest, how well do you keep secrets?

8 1/2

MAIN COURSE:
What's the closest you've ever been to a dangerous animal?

I was walking with a friend one time on a path that was right next to a river (known to have alligators) in Florida. We were walking along, and I remember seeing this bird right on the side of the water. We had just gotten past, when we heard this big splash, turned around and an alligator had tried to get the bird for his next meal. He actually didn't get the bird, but it scared me to death and I was ready to get out of there right then.

DESSERT:
When was the last time you lost your patience?

I have been pretty moody lately and have a serious lack of patience... probably in the last week or so it has been really bad.

Long Time, No Blog

It has been awhile since I last posted. I am trying to keep up with my school work. This is total insanity. I am only taking 2 classes but they are three nights in a row each week and I work, so that doesn't leave me with a whole lot of extra time when you consider homework etc. Plus, I am now trying to prepare and pack for my cruise... I will be flying to Florida next Saturday...5 days, 19 hours and 46 minutes from now. I am just desperate to get away where it is warm and not snowy... of course being completely away from work for a week will be nice also. Snow... it has snowed every week for the last 6 weeks now... that is NOT NORMAL... Yesterday it was snowing and we have more coming in at the end of the week... As long as my flight is able to get out with me on it on Saturday, I don't care what it does. I have most of my stuff together, just need to pack it in the suitcase and garment bag and then I just have the little things that I still need on a daily basis. My friend L is having her baby this week. She goes in tomorrow and they will induce labor. She is having a boy, I am so excited. I was afraid I was going to miss him, her due date is while I am on my cruise. But I will get to see him this week. It might be a little challenging, I have school Mon-Wed and then I just have Thur and Fri... I will figure something out. Maybe I can take Friday off work too, so that I can finish everything up and go see the baby... who will hopefully by then be home. I don't know, I just have way too many things on my plate right now. Why did I ever think going back to school was a wise idea?

I am finally back

Well, I made it back from NYC on Tuesday evening and I am just now getting around to posting. I have not been consistent about posting. But I am okay with that. Not like anyone really reads this anyway. I really did enjoy my trip, although there was not enough time to see/do a fraction of the stuff I wanted to do. When I got in on Saturday, it was 72 degrees!!!! That's right, it was so warm they had even had to close the ice skating rinks in the city because the ice was melting. Sunday, I went to the Empire State Building and went shopping. I got the silver bracelet from Tiffany & Co. which I have wanted for sooo long. I love it, but I am afraid to wear it too many places as I really don't want to lose it. So then I think... what was the point in buying it in the first place... so I will try to consciously wear it as much as is appropriate. I had a ticket to the Sunday matinee of Mary Poppins. I loved the show just as much as I love the movie. After the show I wandered around Times Square. There are a LOT of people there!!!! Even in January when the temperature is supposed to be in the 30's. Crazy people... but wait... I am one of those crazy people. Oh well. It started raining that night and it rained all Monday morning. Therefore meaning I didn't get to do a whole lot. I was planning on trying to make it down to Rockefeller to be in the crowd outside the Today show... but I didn't hear my alarm clock. So I finally got up and made it down there and took the NBC Studio Tour. The best thing about the tour was when we got to go into the studio where they tape Saturday Night Live. Other than that it was pretty uneventful. I then headed back to the hotel to eat and then I was hoping to make it down to go out to the Statue of Liberty. They closed the ticket window 10 minutes before I got there. I was really bummed. I plan on going again though.



On Saturday evening my friend D called to wish me an early Happy Birthday as she was unsure if she would be able to call on Sunday. Her daughter C, who I absolutely love and adore, got on the phone and sang Happy Birthday to me. She will be 4 at the end of January. It was so precious and touching. When I got back, I got onto MySpace and D had left me a note that C one day out of the blue said to her mom... "Mom, Aunt R knows how to find our house right?" D said C misses me so much.... C I miss you more than you could possibly imagine. I will get to see them in 3 weeks... my mom and I are staying with them the night before we have to be to the port for our cruise. I am excited even if it will only be for a few hours... that is better than nothing. Well, I will leave now with a couple pictures from my trip....

Birthday

Happy 76th Birthday Grandma "Shorts" (with Grandpa)

I also wanted to add this picture in here. This is me when I was 8 with my grandparents puppy Maj.... Yeah, she's a puppy here. They also later got another Newfie and her name was Ida. They have both been gone for some time now. My Grandma gave us this picture at Christmas.

Christmas and Snow

Christmas is finally over. I am glad, not because I don't like Christmas, but now my countdown to my trips can really begin. I leave for New York in a little over a week and then not a month later, I am off on my cruise. I didn't take many pictures this year, just two. The tree with all the presents and then the pile of wrapping paper after the feast... Oh the carnage.

And this is what the "experts" are telling us. More snow....

Just what we needed when we still have a foot or more on the ground from the storm last week. Where we are, we usually fall somewhere between what they predict for the Metro area and the Foothills. Goodness gracious... 2 feet!?!

It's Gonna Be A White Christmas

There is no way this stuff will melt before Monday... it's not gonna be warm enough to melt it all. I absolutely LOVE snow. We were sent home early from work today and there is a chance we won't have to go in tomorrow. We will see though. The big wigs at work tend to not think a whole lot of things through. The didn't send us home today till 1pm and we should've been sent home around 9am. Ridiculous.... Anyway, here are some pictures I thought I would share with you. Hope you enjoy.


The snow is up to the door on my car.


See the snow hanging off the side of the neighbors garage...


The stairs down from our front deck...

NYC Plans

Well, I knew I was going to have a problem being in NYC only a few days. My flight gets in at 2:30 on Saturday, so that means, I will have Saturday evening, Sunday and Monday. My birthday is on Sunday. I had a choice of two dates/times for Mary Poppins. Saturday night at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm. I thought about going for Saturday night cause then I would have ALL DAY Sun and Mon to sightsee. But I was afraid, that if my flight was delayed, I would miss the show. That wasn't an option. So I will be going to the Sunday 3pm show. I am excited. I narrowed down the things I must see to just three. Empire State Building, Rockefeller Plaza, and Ellis and Liberty Island. Of course Ellis/Liberty Island will be weather permitting. I am hoping that I get lucky and they have really nice weather that weekend. But I am preparing for the possibility of that not happening. I am probably going to get a ticket for the double decker sight seeing bus so that could be my main mode of transportation. I have to make my reservations for the airport transfers. I looked at getting a town car or something but I don't know for sure. It's not exactly cheap. That's as far as I have gotten with my plans.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer:
What language would you like to learn and why?
I took French in middle school and high school. I haven't used it since. I would like to refresh that. But I would also love to learn Italian. These will both come in handy when I am travelling in Europe.

Soup:
What is the funniest thing you've heard or read so far this week?
Got this video from one of the guys I work with... it's hilarious!


Salad:
Which movie was so bad you couldn't watch the whole thing?
Going Overboard. It's an early Adam Sandler movie. I rented it and it was so bad that I actually took it back the video store and got my money back for it. It was THAT BAD!!!!

Main Course:
If there were a holiday in your honor that didn't use your actual name what would the day be called?
Reading day... I LOVE to read.

Dessert:
Name one movie which is coming out soon that you would like to see
The Holiday. There are lots but that one I REALLY want to see tomorrow... which is when it comes out.

Before I get to that....

Well, here it is a week later and I have my Friday's Feast ready to go. But since I haven't posted yet this week, I thought I would fill in a little bit before I get to that. I am just trying to remember what I was going to post about earlier this week... now I don't know. It has been a bit uneventful but not boring. Don't remember if I posted about this earlier, but about a month or so ago, I got hit in my car... my car I have only had for 4 MONTHS!!! It's a 2006 Honda Civic and I LOVE IT! Anyway, I got hit and it had to go to the body shop. I missed my car soooo much and despised the rental I got. Well, I got my car back today. I keep thinking, I need to name her... but I don't know what to name her. I am sure something will come to me eventually. I have never named a car so I am going to take my time on this.

Last Saturday my friend L had her baby shower. It was up north so we drove up there together. It was nice to see her again. She moved about an hours drive away so I don't see her as often as I would like. I did tell her that when she has that baby, I will be there a lot more. I need to make good on that too. I will benefit two-fold. I will get to enjoy the baby and I will have the company of my friend again. The thing that stinks is... I am going to be on my cruise the week of her due date. I told her she either needs to have him the week before or the week after. Not that she has any control over it but...


I finally decided what I am going to do for my birthday... I am going to NYC!! I have been there once but didn't get to see any of the sights really. We just drove around looking for a place to park... no fun. I leave Jan 6th and come home on the 9th. I am going to freeze my butt off but it will be fun. I hope to go see Mary Poppins on Broadway. That was my favorite movie when I was a kid... that and the original Cat in the Hat. I still love Thing 1 and Thing 2.

Friday's Feast

I saw this on another blog one day awhile ago and thought I would give it a try. It would give me something to write if I had nothing else. I had actually kind of forgotten about it until today. So here it goes.

Appetizer:
Have you ever flown a helicopter?
No... but I would be up for it if given the opportunity. I've never even been in one but I would not hesitate at that either.

Soup:
What color is your warmest coat or jacket?
Yellow and Black, and I got to wear it today as it was only 3 degrees out this morning... brrrr.

Salad:
What is your favorite rainy day activity?
I like to sit and watch it rain... if it is in fact actually raining. If it is just cold I like to curl up in my bed under all the blankets and either watch a good movie or read a good book.

Main Course:
Describe your hands--
Plain, I rarely wear jewelry. I have one knuckle that is swollen from arthritis, the rest of my fingers are fairly small although not tiny... I sometimes look at them and think they look old (aside from the arthritis), but then other days, not so much.

Dessert:
If you could only eat one nut for the rest of your life, what nut would you pick?
Walnut... they give me the warm a fuzzy feeling of a good memory with my great grandmother.

A Hug Can Brighten Up Your Day

I don't think I need to add anything to this....

Contemplation

Well, Thanksgiving went okay... My cousin was there along with her
boyfriend. Turns out she is 7 months along already. Thursday was
uncomfortable with her and J there. On Friday we all were back at the
grandparents for leftovers and she was there without J. Much better and
laid back. After we ate, we were all sitting there and talking. A started
talking about how she and J had discussed adoption for the baby. I just sat
there and listened. You can tell that she is not sure if that is what path
she wants to take with this baby, and J obviously is leaning toward that.

Today I was talking to my friend about it and she asked if they had
considered a family adoption... meaning me. I have thought about it a bit.
But there are a few things to consider. First the baby is only 2 months
away and that is not much time to prepare, second, I don't know how
receptive she would be to me adopting the baby (we were not on the best of
terms the last time we talked), and third, I would be very concerned that
she and J would change their minds and I would lose the baby to them. I
don't know if I could handle that. But I can't stop thinking about it!! I
don't know if I should put out feelers to other family members (her mom and
dad or our grandparents) to see what their take is on it, or if I should
just step back away from it and hope that they make the right decision and
place the baby with a family and leave it at that. I don't know....

Today is a struggle for Me

I am sitting here at work in complete shock and can't even think about work, even though I have a pile of it sitting on my desk. The really bad thing is that I am in shock over something that I knew was inevitable one day. I was just talking to my grandpa about Thanksgiving dinner and he informed me that my cousin A would be there and that he thought we should know something before we got there... A is pregnant....

I guess a bit of background on A would be appropriate here for anyone who may stumble upon this...

She is my cousin who I would define as the "blacksheep" of the family. It was not this way until a couple years ago. Half way through her senior year of HS, she ran off to live with her 'boyfriend' whom no one had met. Rather than living with him and not be married, they ran off the court house and got married. Mind you she is 18 and still supposed to be in school. Well, she finally ends up moving back in with her parents and finishes school. She moves back in with her now husband to only have him kick her out a few weeks later. She moves back home, and then joins the Army. She is at bootcamp for I think a total of 2 weeks before they send her home because she is not adjusting. She then proceeds to move in with a guy, J, who she met while she was enlisting. She is still married to the previous guy and this new guy is married with a baby on the way. At one point she moves in with the grandparents and they attempt to help her get her life straightened out.... she can't hold a job and she ends up back with J. In all this there are some extenuating medical issues etc which I will not delve into here. In the meantime, as far as I know, she is still legally married to the first guy (they can't afford a divorce because neither of them can hold a job for any amount of time). J had attempted to enlist in the Army only to be turned down because he had a pending felony check fraud charge. So now she is pregnant...

I knew this would happen and I would always think about how I would handle this and here it is and I don't know what to say. I know a lot of things I want to say but I know they are inappropriate and unnecessary. However, all I can think is how is she shouldn't have a baby because she can't even take care of herself let alone a child. That is what keeps going through my mind, not, how can I reach out to her and try to help her (whether she would accept or not), which, I know, is how I should handle this situation. I am sick to my stomach over this and I am not sure what aspect of this bothers me more. Is it the fact that the lifestyle she has chosen is not the ideal situation to raise a child in and in my line of work, I have seen many situations like this where a child is living, and it all manifests itself in a negative situation for the child? Is it the fact that since all these things with her blew up, she has been unwilling to accept a true offer of assistance to get her life in order, and follow through on it, from ANYONE? Is it the fact that I have not been able to forgive her for the way she has treated our family with such disregard, regardless of all the hurt and worry she has put us through over the last few years (whether she asks for forgiveness or not, I know that the right thing is for me to forgive her anyway and I have been struggling with this for some time. It is a battle I fight frequently, I trust (too) easily and then when someone betrays that trust, I have a hard time forgiving and trusting again)? Or is there a bit of jealousy there on my part, she is just 21, and is going to be a parent, something which I personally doubt she is prepared for emotionally or financially and then there is me, about to turn 28 in a couple months, and ALL I have EVER wanted in my life is to be a mom (the fact that I have not accomplished the one thing I want in my life is something that I have been dealing with and considering for about a year now. I am actually seriously considering adopting in a few years if I am still single and childless by then, but I think this news has just "rubbed it in" (for the lack of a better term)? I am leaning toward the latter two facts, and I think that I am having a hard time dealing with the fact that these are my issues that I need to deal with, not something that I can blame on her. I can lay blame no where but on myself which makes it that much more difficult to deal with.

Soundtrack of My Life

I just played this game that I got from another blog, and I thought I would
see what it gave me. Try it out.... it will have you laughing too. Here is
what you do:

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that�s playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don�t lie and try to pretend you�re cool�

Opening Credits: Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You - Kellie Pickler
Waking Up: When Love Comes Down - Point of Grace (oops... I have Christmas
songs in here too)
First Day At School: The Lady Is a Tramp - Frank Sinatra
Falling In Love: So Says I - The Shins
Fight Song: Just a Kiss - Steve Holy
Breaking Up: Ol' 55 - The Eagles
Prom: You Rescued Me - Jamie O'Neal
Life: Whenever You Remember - Carrie Underwood
Mental Breakdown: To Be With You - Jamie O'Neal
Driving: Under the Weather - KT Tunstall
Flashback: Nice N Easy - Frank Sinatra
Getting Back Together: The Hunger - Steve Holy
Wedding: Where I Began - Caedmon's Call
Birth of Child: Hearts In Celestial Union - Gandalf (came on the computer,
it's a little strange)
Final Battle: Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood
Death Scene: (There's Gotta Be) More to Life - Stacie Orrico
Funeral Song: If I Was Jesus - Toby Keith
End Credits: One Day Closer to You - Carolyn Dawn Johnson

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed in this. I was hoping more of them
would be more fit for what part of my "life" they were associated. I wonder
what it would come out if I tried it one more time.....

Opening Credits: You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone - Brooks and Dunn
Waking Up: I Just Can't Live a Lie - Carrie Underwood
First Day At School: Talk to Me - Lee Ann Womack
Falling In Love: When You Get To Me - Lee Ann Womack
Fight Song: (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons - Nat King Cole
Breaking Up: Something Worth Leaving Behind - Lee Ann Womack
Prom: You're Not Alone Tonight - Keith Urban
Life: Good Together (Bucket and Chicken) - SheDAISY
Mental Breakdown: Song For Dad - Keith Urban
Driving: She's My Kind of Rain - Tim McGraw
Flashback: Take It Easy - The Eagles
Getting Back Together: Sweet - Toby Keith
Wedding: The Next Time You Go - Eugene Edwards
Birth of Child: I've Got the World on a String - Frank Sinatra
Final Battle: Lie To Me - Pushmonkey (not my kind of music, came on the
computer)
Death Scene: When We Are One - Gabriel Mann
Funeral Song: Is That a Tear - Tracy Lawrence
End Credits: Where We Belong - Jamie O'Neal

Okay, so it wasn't much better the second time around. Maybe it will work
better for others.

30 Questions

I love these things where you get to answer questions about yourself. As
cheesy as they may seem, I think some of them can really make people think
about things and you could really learn something about yourself with them.
So here I go with another one.

1) What side of the heart do you draw first? Right

2) Can you dive without plugging your nose? Nope.

3) What color is your razor? Blue

4) What is your blood-type? B (don't know whether it's positive or negative)

5) Who would you want to be tied to for 24 hours? I don't think I could take
24 hours tied to anyone. I am really anal about my "personal space"

6) What is a rumor someone has spread about you? I don't know that I have
ever heard one.

7) How do you feel about carrots? I will eat them raw (cooked ones are
slimy)

8) How many chairs at the dining room table? 4, although the dining room
table is only used for craft projects or wrapping gifts.

9) Which is the best spice girl? Don't even remember all their names.

10) Do you know what time it is? Bedtime

11) Do you know all the words to the Fresh Prince song? Well this is a story
all about how my life got flipped turned upside down...

12) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator? If I was by myself
or just a couple people I already knew, I would be okay, otherwise I might
freak out.

13) Whats your favorite kind of gum? I like all kinds. I do really like
watermelon though.

14)T or F: Alls fair in love and war. False

15) Do you have a crush on anyone? Someone at work, but in case anyone I
work with were to stumble across this, I am not going to name names. There
was this guy who I used to work with who I was absolutley crazy about and
one of my co-workers found out about it and sunk her nails into him. That
co-worker is a whole other post in and of itself and maybe I will take the
time to put that down here sometime.

16) Do you know how to use some words correctly, but not know the meaning?
If I don't know what it means, I don't use it.

17) Do you like to sleep? I LOVE to sleep!

18) Do you know which US states don't use Daylight Savings? Arizona, and
Indiana (don't know if there are any others)

19) Do you know the song Total Eclipse of the Heart? A little before my
time.

20) Do you want a bright yellow 06 mustang? That would be fun. I like the
new retro design and yellow is my favorite color.

21) What's something you've always wanted? A child.

22) Do you have hairy legs? It's winter, do you really think I would waste
my time on shaving my legs when no one sees them except me?

24) Would you rather swim in the ocean or a lake? Neither. Lakes give me
the eebie jeebies, and I have a seriously irrational fear of sharks.

25) Do you wear a lot of black? I think I wear a moderate amount.

26) Describe your hair. Just above my shoulders and drives me crazy because
it flys in my face.

27) Do you have Entomophobia? Do I have WHAT!? (see question 16)

28) Are you an adult? I at least pretend that I am

29) Where are your best friends? Florida, about 2000 miles away from me,
not close enough.

30) Do you have a tan? I never have a tan.

31) Are you a television addict? My name is R and I am a tvholic.

32) Do you enjoy spending time with your mother? I better, I am going to be
on a cruise ship with her in the same room for a week.

33) Are you a sugar freak? Yep

34) Do you like orange juice? I like it although I don't drink it a lot. I
am partial to apple juice.

35) What sign are you? Capricorn

36) What color is your Cell Phone? Black

37) Where do you wish you were right now? Paris

Misc. Thoughts

I don't really have some deep contemplative writings to put down here. Just a few thoughts that cross my mind on a pretty regular basis:

-- How can people do such horrible things to others. This is such a terribly tragic story that you can feel your heart drop when you hear it.

-- I want to go to Europe. I say this A LOT!!! I really do want to go. As much as I really can't afford it right now, I am going to do everything in my power to make it happen this year. I had been thinking about taking 3 weeks or so in a couple years and spend it over there, but the more I think about it, the less I want to wait. Maybe if I go see Paris and London this year, I can see some other places when I go in a couple years.

-- I miss my friends terribly. They live in Florida and I can't be there nearly as much as I want to be. Maybe I can make a long weekend in January.

-- Is it time for my cruise yet? We have our plane tickets to fly down to Florida. Got them for a steal. Less than $250 for both my mom and I, round trip, non-stop! My travel agent was even amazed.

-- Christmas will be here before we know it. Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away. I have my shopping started (what I haven't done, I have no idea what I am going to get). I will hopefully have my stuff for my cards this week, so I can get them done while I am housesitting the week of Thanksgiving.