Cold hands...warm heart....loving family

Almost all of the folks reading along on this blog, know that my body has an aversion to the cool temps that are currently present in most states above the Mason Dixon line. I rarely venture very far north when the mercury drops below 50 degrees...unless of course, we are visiting family. Although my preference would always be for sunny skies and temps hovering in the mid 60's, the weather is truly secondary, when I am the recipient of a long awaited hug and kiss from those I hold dear in my heart.

That being said, we are embracing this gorgeous fall weather in Chicago, and enjoying every minute of our visit with Brian and Taryn. No matter how many days or months we've all spent apart, as soon as we hop off the plane, grab a quick hug, jump onto the car, and head off to begin our visit....it always feels like only moments have passed, since we've seen each other last.


These pumpkins were meant to be carved...and the seeds were just waiting to be roasted.


Yummy carmel popcorn in the making...


Yummy Halloween snacks...and I actually helped with the process :)

Happy Halloween from the LaFlamme Family in Chicago

The loving bonds that are created when children come into our world, is something that holds every family unit together...no matter the physical distances that exist in our lives. Roger left home at 18, and struck out on his own as a young adult, to make his way in the world. Two years later, at the age of 18, I followed suit, left home to become his wife.....traveled across an ocean, and soon thereafter, our family began to grow. Stacey also found her young wings at the age of 18, and traveled away from home, to start her secondary education in another state. And lastly, at a young 17 years old, Brian had set himself a goal, to travel a bit further afield, and chose to attend a college in the Midwest.


Father and son...watching football, sharing a beer and a Saturday afternoon nap...it doesn't get much better that that!

Looking back, it seems that all four of us were almost in a rush to begin our adult lives, outside of the comfort zone created by our parents. We each knew that something new and exciting was waiting for us, right around the corner. Over the last 31 years, we have all made conscientious decisions regarding where we want to live, and how it would affect the future dynamics of our family unit. Whether it was to move closer to family members...to settle in another state for the sake of a burgeoning new relationship, or just a change of scenery and a desire to finally locate a place to settle and continue an old relationship...the locations were chosen with a desire to find a place that really "worked" for each one of us.






Before Taryn and Scott became a part of our small family, one of our many group shots of just the four of us.....back in CT for Thanksgiving 2004

Never in a million years, would I have ever imagined Roger and I living in the sunny state of Florida. We chose to raise Stacey and Brian in New England, and always thought that even after they left home, we'd just continue our lives pretty much in the same fashion, without making any changes. They had each gone off to college to start a new adventure, however, it never dawned on us, that it might be the perfect time for us to seek out something, a bit outside our comfort zone.








Soon after we moved to Florida in the summer of 2000...how happy do we look????

Everyone knows that our decision to move, the selling of our condo, and then our subsequent relocation to the south happened in a very short period of time. In a little less than five months, we moved..lock, stock and barrel to West Palm Beach, to begin the second half of our life together, and quickly discovered, the warm sunny skies we've come to love. It only took a brief moment for me to know that here is where my heart would be happy, away from the long grey winter months and freezing cold temperatures of New England. I felt a sense of finally coming "home" unlike anything I had experienced in a very long time. There is something down deep inside of everyone of us....something I have yet been able to put into a cohesive explanation.....but you all know how it is when that something just feels "right."

For whatever reason, at this time in my life....warm is what my body craves and warm is what my body is gonna get. As I've said many times, no situation is ever going to be perfect for all the parties involved...there will always be a tradeoff. I try to never say never, but let's face it, that is "never" very easy. We really don't know what tomorrow will bring, so for now I'm snapping up my flannel lounge shirt, pulling on my socks, wrapping up in a blanket and enjoying our long weekend visit with Brian and Taryn. And when I return to the mild "winter" temps of Florida, I'll soak up some sun to keep me warm, as I prepare for my next visit to an even chillier Massachusetts, in early December. I look forward to my first wet sloppy kiss from my new grand puppy Otis during a quick weekend visit with my recently engaged daughter and future son in law....has anyone seen my gloves?


The Simon-LaFlamme Family in Massachusetts...happy smiles always :)

I'm leaving on a jet plane....

Well, I should clarify that...WE are leaving on a jet plane...and, unfortunately, I actually know exactly when I'll be back again...Tuesday. But, then again....I only have three days of work when we return home. Now there's a thought that will very happily get me through the night. I long for the days when I don't ever have to be back again, for someone else's schedule. My biggest issue with working......I never have enough vacation days each year, for all the traveling we want to do, but that is another story.

I'm at a point in my life, where there is so much I still want to do, so many places I still want to see, so many things that life still has to show me, and so few years, months and days to accomplish it all. It is the Catch 22 of every generation...you work hard, save money, take vacations, work some more, take some more vacations, then work even harder and save even more, so that eventually, you can retire when you are old and gray. It saddens me to think, there is a possibility we may run out of the ambition and energy, to do everything we wanted to do since we were young, and had the means to reach our particular goals. Taking into consideration the ides of getting caught on the work, life, vacation, money merry-go-round, we've made a conscious decision to actually fulfill our travel dreams now, which some couples put off until their retirement years. Let's face it, our income stream will never again be this healthy, no matter how much we save and sock away into our 401K and retirement accounts, it will just not ever equal our salaries of today. That being said, we are traveling as much as our little hearts desire and far as our little bank account will take us.

We both embrace this particular motto..."Don't put off till tomorrow, what you can afford to do today". Not to be downer, but do we really know if tomorrow will ever come? You always hear stories about older folks who retire at 65 or even closer to 70, then a few years later, they pass away. Not only that, who knows what our health will be upon retirement, there are no guarantees that we will have the capability to travel to all the places we have yet to see. I'd rather discover distant lands now and experience the world of travel while I am still able to enjoy it, without any major physical limitations.

We've witnessed plenty of elderly couples traveling on our cruises, and while they appear to be enjoying themselves, it seems to take an awful lot of extra effort to keep up the intensive pace from day to day. Of course, some vacations are more strenuous than others, however, I've listened to enough senior citizens complain about how they "just can't do that anymore" even when they truly desire to continue taking extensive vacations. How unfortunate that they must curtail future adventures, due to age and physical constraints. It has become very clear to me, we will eventually come to a point in our golden years, when traveling is no longer an option. When I finally arrive at that stage of my life, I want everything checked off my bucket list, without an ounce of regret.

Two items that appears regularly on our "to do" list, are trips to visit our married children (Stacey and Scott are already married in our eyes), whenever our schedules allow. Would we like to spend more time with them??? Well, that's just a silly question and the answer should be obvious to anyone who knows us. At this time, all six of our lives run in several different directions--it stands to reason that we are not all able to be together as often as we would like.


Our long weekend begins in South Beach, to celebrate my 50th birthday in November, 2009.

However, whenever we are enjoying the company of either one of our children's families, the special memories we create are always something precious to us, and are held very dear in our hearts. The time of the year matters very little, I personally feel the holidays are something that have been created for the general population, and don't require our participation or consideration for when and how we all come together as a family. I believe that will change slightly in the future when grandchildren are added to our family unit, only time will tell.


We were all dressed for dinner and ready for our delicious meal at Nobu


So sorry Scott, the waitress was kind enough to take the shot, she just cut you out of the frame :(

Realistically, our future travel plans will include many more group family visits, which is one of the main reasons, we are currently focused on international and cruise vacations. At the present time, grandchildren are not a part of our lives...not to say that won't change in the next few years. It is our understanding that both our daughter and daughter-in-law intend to have babies, it's just a matter of when the time is right for both of them. We will then schedule our vacation trips to Boston and Chicago, according to the appearance of our grandchildren....hopefully for everyone, sooner rather than later. Although we make our home in Florida, and they all live up north, it's quite obvious that we are never more than a 3 or 4 hour flight away.


Almost time to say goodbye, looking forward to our reunion in June 2010, at the beach house in North Carolina.

As I sit here, on our flight to Chicago, typing away at 38,000 feet in the air, I'm reminded of that young 18 year old newly married woman, who left home with the man she loved, on a plane for the very first time in her life. She has never regretted one moment of all the traveling she has done, and has only wonderful memories of each and every adventure over the last 33 years. Here's to another 20+ years of safe, interesting, exciting travel and life experiences....you should grab all that is out there with both hands, and never let go.

Hickory dickory dock....

Is the clock our enemy...or is it our friend? It never quite moves at the pace we want...always a little too fast....or never fast enough. As we approach the end of our work day, doesn't time appear to just stand still for no reason? Let's face it, an alarm clock is NEVER our friend..... that nasty snooze button (usually across the room, so you'll actually get UP to turn it off), mocking us each time we reset it. Now I'm not talking about my own personal experience, because I don't use an alarm clock...I "lovingly" refer to myself as one of those obnoxious morning people...jumping (well "jump" may be exaggerating a bit) out of bed when my internal alarm says wakie wakie...no more sleep for you. That voice inside my head can be quite obnoxious at times, I'm rarely very fond of it when it's telling me to get up out of bed. I try to reason with it...I'm not always successful. I'm pretty sure my body would still like to sleep, but my mind has a totally different plan for me.

What happens to our sleep patterns as we age? That is the million dollar question. Does anyone remember, when they get to their 40's and 50's, what it felt like to actually sleep through the night without waking up? Is it just me that has these issues? For whatever reason, I simply can't recall how long ago it was that I slept soundly for 8 hours, from the minute my head hit the pillow...until it was time to get up. Don't get me wrong, I sleep like a rock....and have no issues falling to sleep, I guess I just wish it was for 8 hours, instead of 6!

WARNING--TMI--At first it seemed like I started to wake up just to go to the bathroom....when did that begin....I really wish I knew. I don't recall this being an issue years ago...did my bladder shrink or something??? I'm not ingesting any additional liquids before bedtime...so why is a trip to the toilet waking me from my sleep? I am sure there is a scientific reason for all this...I'm just too busy at the moment to google it. I'd always return back to my cozy spot in the bed chanting to myself..."you are still sleepy...go back to sleep...don't think ANY thoughts...go back to sleep....come on you can do it....go back to sleep" and for a very long while, probably years, it worked. Sorry to say, unfortunately for me, now it doesn't :(

Clearly, we all have an internal clock, if we listen to it carefully, it will easily tell us when it is time to sleep and when it is time to wake. I've learned just recently, that it just makes more sense to allow it to take over and dictate my sleeping pattern...I actually feel better when I do. The down side of all this, I've become very good friends with 3 am in the morning. It wasn't so long ago, that we used to be enemies...I've come to accept, that these few precious quiet hours, at the beginning of my day, can be productive....I'm writing with a clear head (well most of the time--although it may not appear to be clear to anyone reading this), and that can't be all bad.

There is of course, a tradeoff...in order to get my 6 hours of dead-to-the world sleep in, I usually go to bed at 9 pm on a good night...sometimes earlier...and sometimes it's actually the old falling-asleep-on-the-couch routine....then eventually stumbling into bed in a stupor. I try really hard not to give in to that voice in my head...you know.....the one that ever so gently says, "close your eyes, it will feel soooo good, and this couch is pretty darn comfy too...who needs that old bed anyway" At that point, I'm having a full blown argument inside my head--always interesting to see which part of my brain will prevail. More times than not, I smarten up, get my sleepy butt to bed and enjoy my precious 6 hour night of uninterrupted sleep.

You might be thinking, well just stay up later and you'll sleep later...been there, done that...not so good. I can function like that for a few days if we are away for a long weekend visiting family, and just recently for two weeks while we were cruising. However, eventually it all catches up to me, and it's just not pretty. I get very wonky, things start happening outside my control and I'm quite sure it's my body saying "enough already, this just isn't working for me...can we please at least get back to our "normal" sleep pattern?" and I eventually give in. It's so much easier and my mind and body can begin once again to coexist as a cohesive unit.

For a very long time, I fought with the idea of getting up to begin my day at this "middle of the night" hour...it just didn't seem normal. Well, I've never actually claimed to be normal...and what is normal for one, is obviously not normal for another. We have to find what works for us and make it our own normal. Or in my case, abnormal???? So be it, this is my world, and I will find a way to turn it into something positive...I use this time to write down whatever is bouncing around in my head...some ideas fly through quite quickly and get jumbled up with the very next thought, which just pushes the other one out of the way. Some stay for awhile and begin to flesh out into a story before I have a chance to grab my IPad...others, write themselves before I even open my eyes each morning. It can get very crowded here inside my head, but writing helps to slow things down a bit every now and then. It requires me to concentrate on one subject instead of juggling ten at a time. I do that at work all day long....believe me, it's really not fun, especially when a thought leaks out and disappears before you've had a chance to write it all down. My mental notepad is just simply running out of space...either that, or the sticky pads in my mind appear to be loosing their glue.

So, I am thankful for this time I have, to sit and write out what happens to be forefront in my mind. The subject matter is always random, I have ideas and make lists of various things I'd like to "discuss"....but then again, in order to discuss something, don't you need more than one person? Ok, since no one else is awake at this early morning hour, I'll just have a continuous one-sided discussion...with myself. You are more than welcome to come along for the ride...there is no guarantee that much of what I include in this blog will be the slightest bit interesting. It seems to be a way of getting some of this constant stream-of-consciousness, for lack of a better term...once and for all OUT of my head and onto the page.

Just when I've finally come to terms with my new schedule and thought things were running along smoothly...I realized Daylight Savings is just around the corner... oh brother...here we go again!?!?

Doctor...Lawyer....Indian Chief

Some little girls want to grow up to be mothers, who nurture their growing children into adulthood, to become conscientious members of the next emerging generation.....some little girls want to grow up to have an extensive career and make a successful contribution to the current generation in the burgeoning business world....and one particular little girl wanted to grow up to fulfill her lifetime dream of preserving this world we live in, through environmental conservation. Years later, she witnessed her own unexpected entry into the almost entirely exclusive man's world of race car driving....and eventually found a way to combine the two passions in her life, into a successfully fulfilling career.

Last night, I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with the woman that this little girl has become...a large voice in a small body, who shakes up the racing circuit, as well as the environmentalist world, whenever and wherever her passion happens to takes her. She was the guest speaker at our annual Woman's United Way fundraising function, which was organized by my female co-workers and sponsored through various private law firms in the community.

Leilani Munter is an inspiration to all who meet her, a woman...who against all odds has made a name for herself in the extremely competitive, male-dominated world of NASCAR racing, and continues to give all of the other drivers, a run for their money, every time she steps out onto the track.

She is equally, if not more so, an extreme advocate of all things related to the conservation of this planet. Her first love as a child, and then as a biology major in college, has always been a desire to embrace and respect all living things, as she searched to understand why not everyone she encountered, wanted to preserve this world she so dearly loves.

Along this road of discovery, she has had many doors slammed in her face, and has heard the word "No" spoken to her more times than she cares to remember. She likens herself to the bumblebee, who has no idea it was not aerodynamically engineered to fly, however, against all odds--it does exactly that. Her passionate story will intrigue you from the moment she opens her mouth, her words ring true to all those who care to listen. She has a powerful message, that even the most stalwart naysayer, will sit up and pay attention to....they may not agree with her at first, however, she makes her statements with such conviction, you are bound to be moved by her continuing compassion for the state of our ever-changing environment. She has chosen a platform that she stands behind 150%, despite personal fears and misgivings, regarding her own physical abilities in some very tough situations.

Prior to our event, I took note of her recent participation with a group who are passionately spreading the news of a disastrous situation, through their individual involvement and production of the Academy Award winning film "The Cove". It is a saga, presented in a documentary format, that chronicles the horrific mass slaughter of hundreds of thousands of dolphins in Japan. This movie by far, affected me to the very core of who I am, as none other has in my entire lifetime. In a room full of 120 women and men, it was very disheartening to note that less than a handful had even viewed the film. As human beings, we possess an almost natural born duty, to participate in the preservation of all living creatures that share this planet with us, as well as our ever decreasing natural resources. I consider these fascinating creatures to be a form of enrichment, that serve to enhance our human race. Not a species which has evolved on this earth, only for us to eventually witness the irrational destruction of their very existence by greedy corporations.

I leave each and everyone of you with the task of viewing what is most often, at times, a very painful film to watch. However, in retrospect, that is precisely what the environmentalist group involved in this continuing project, intended at the outset...to make us uncomfortable enough to take notice and be aware of those who are systematically destroying a harmless species that existed long before man ever walked this earth.

http://www.thecovemovie.com/

One of Leilani's goals is to save the rainforest one race at a time....her story continues to inspire young women across this country.....please take the time to enter her world if for only a short time, to understand it is possible that even one small voice, can move a nation with it's message.

http://carbonfreegirl.com/

I love to laugh...HA, HA, HA...long and loud and clear

In this life we all have choices....you can choose to allow others to have the power to make you cry......you can choose to allow what is going on around you, make you unhappy....you can choose to be around others that are mean, ugly and filled with hate....you can choose to be lonely and shut yourself off, away from the rest of the world......or, you choose what I choose....you can choose to laugh. I love to laugh, really...I do. And, I have absolutely no problem laughing at myself. I mean seriously, who takes pictures of their own feet, and then posts them on a public webs site, if they are not able to make fun of their own idiosyncrasies??? Certainly silliness to the highest degree!!!

Roger and I laugh all the time...at ourselves, at each other...and at the rest of the world. We find humor in the smallest things and recognize the fact that some people have never mastered something we find so simple and enjoyable...the ability just let go and not take things so seriously. Case in point this weekend at the grocery store...we had just a few things to pick up and I refuse to walk up and down each aisle...I want to walk in, get what I want, then walk out. He finally, after all these years, understands and agrees with my logic, except when he is looking for something specific...and then, like most men, refuses to ask a store clerk for assistance. I follow him around for a bit, then he goes off across the store and I wait "patiently" while he searches for this one item. I finally turn to the first clerk I see and ask where the raisins are...Aisle 13, she says...and instantly, we are finally done with the shopping. All checked out...he grabs the bags...we walk out of the store...me chatting away (who me!?!)...walking a few steps behind him....we are halfway down the side walk about to step off the curb into the parking lot when he looks back at me with a big smile on his face and says "Honey, what are you doing?" I can't imagine what he is talking about...I'm just walking along minding my own business, following him to the car...and then it occurs to me...he is carrying the few bags of groceries, and there I am pushing an empty cart out to the car??? We both burst out laughing (I guess you had to be there), I quickly drop off the cart thinking no one REALLY saw me pushing an empty cart OUT of the store....and, we agree that after his 10 minute (fruitless-until I took charge of the situation--pun intended) hunt for the elusive raisins, and my shopping cart faux pas...when we are together, it is truly a case of the blind leading the blind.

I mentioned in one of my earlier posts that I listened to Blue Collar Comedy station on XM radio and enjoy it as a way to start my day before a crazy 8 hour shift at work. Think about it, I work in an office building with 2000 people, for a company that employs a total of 10,000 employees across the county, and I spend my entire day with a couple of attorneys that specialize in employment law...do you see where I'm going with this??? If I didn't laugh my butt off before I walked through those doors everyday, I'd have a tough time appreciating the lack of humor in my job. Believe me when I say, there is nothing funny about unhappy employees..and that is pretty much the crux of what we deal with day in--day out. Don't get me wrong, we find plenty to laugh about, but more often than not it is certainly never directed at the cases on my desk. We laugh at ourselves, each other and any little tidbit of humor that comes our way. Without going overboard, we swap silly emails, and share a giggle whenever possible. It's entertaining to send out a funny joke to a friend who sits a few cubicles away, then hear them laugh out loud when they open and read it. I find that the people I enjoy spending time with, are almost always, very funny people. I didn't realize until just this moment, it appears that throughout my life, I've chosen to be with folks that make me laugh, have an incredible sense of humor, and can find the everyday silliness that exists in the world we live in, without a lot of effort.

I will go one step further in my search for humor on a particularly banging-my-head-against-the-wall (all too frequent) kinda day...I grab my movie buddy, we leave work at 4:30 and drive directly to the local Cobb Theater and watch a funny movie. Silly comedy, side-splitting laugh out loud comedy, or better yet...stomping my feet on the ground and slapping my hands on my thighs comedy....the latter being my preference. When either one of us is having a rough day...we meet in the hallway and say...I need to laugh NOW. And sometimes, if we aren't able to get away that afternoon, just knowing we have plans later that week, or even the following week, helps to ease the stress we are under at that moment. I whip out my trusty IPhone, we peruse the upcoming movie schedule, pick a silly flick, send each other an invite (need to make it official so the waiting doesn't appear so endless), and then get back to the business at hand. It helps just knowing that in the not too distant future, we can leave all the craziness at work behind, step away from reality....and just belly laugh out loud....it really is the best medicine for what ails you. Thanks Nancy, for always finding a way to make me giggle :)


Some very silly, simple visual humor, that caught me just right one day when I really needed a good laugh...at first glance I giggled..then after looking at it again...I started laughing out loud...and pretty soon I was doubled over belly laughing with tears in my eyes...you really never know what is going to tickle your funny bone :)
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A little old man shuffled slowly into an ice cream parlor and pulled himself slowly, painfully, up onto a stool.. After catching his breath, he ordered a banana split.
The waitress asked kindly, 'Crushed nuts?'
'No,' he replied, 'Arthritis.'
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Morris, an 82 year-old man, went to the doctor to get a physical.
A few days later, the doctor saw Morris walking down the street with a gorgeous young woman on his arm.
A couple of days later, the doctor spoke to Morris and said, 'You're really doing great, aren't you?'
Morris replied, 'Just doing what you said, Doc: 'Get a hot mamma and be cheerful.''
The doctor said, 'I didn't say that.. I said, 'You've got a heart murmur; be careful.'
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The pastor asked if anyone in the congregation would like to express
praise for answered prayers.

Smith stood and walked to the podium. She said, "I have a praise.
Two months ago, my husband, Tom, had a terrible bicycle wreck and his
scrotum was completely crushed. The pain was excruciating and the
doctors didn't know if they could help him."

You could hear a muffled gasp from the men in the congregation as
they imagine the pain that poor Tom must have experienced.

"Tom was unable to hold me or the children," she went on, "and every
move caused him terrible pain." We prayed as the doctors performed a
delicate operation, and it turned out they were able to piece together
the crushed remnants of Tom's scrotum, and wrap wire around it to hold it
in place."

Again, the men in the congregation cringed and squirmed uncomfortably
as they imagined the horrible surgery performed on Tom.

"Now," she announced in a quivering voice, "thank the Lord, Tom is out
of the hospital and the doctors say that with time, his scrotum should
recover completely."

All the men sighed with unified relief.

The pastor rose and tentatively asked if anyone else had something to
say.

A man stood up and walked slowly to the podium. He said, "I'm Tom
Smith." The entire congregation held its breath. "I just want to tell
my wife the word is sternum.
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A man left work on Friday afternoon, but instead of going home, he stayed out the entire weekend hunting with the boys and spending his entire paycheck.

When he finally appeared at home Sunday night, he was confronted by his very angry wife and was barraged for nearly two hours with a tirade of his actions. Finally, his wife stopped the nagging and said to him, "How would you like it if you didn't see ME for two or three days?" To which he replied, "That would be fine with me."

Monday went by and he didn't see his wife. Tuesday and Wednesday came and went with the same results. Thursday, the swelling went down just enough where he could see her a little out of the corner of his left eye.
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A blonde who's down on her luck is walking through a luxurious neighbourhood looking for odd jobs to do when she approaches a large house. She goes up to the house, rings the bell and the owner comes to the door.
He asks the lady what he can do for her. The blonde tells him of her situation, that she is down on her luck and wants to know if he has any odd jobs that she could do.

The man thinks about it for a second and then remembers that he has been wanting his porch painted. He asks the blonde if she paints?

The blonde says, "Sure anything."

"Well, I've been wanting my porch painted, how much would you charge?" the man replies.

"I don't know, say $50 bucks."

"Sounds good. Go ahead and get started." He closes the door and walks back inside.

His wife asks him, "Who was at the door?" He tells her of the blonde and her situation and then told his wife that the blonde agreed to paint the porch for $50 bucks.

The astonished wife says, "$50 bucks, but that porch goes the full length of our house and then some. It will be at least a few hours job. You really should pay her more."

"But that's all she said she wanted, and anyway she's a dumb blonde!"

10 minutes later, they get a knock on the door. The man answers the door and blonde stands there and says, "All done."

With a surprised look on his face, "I can't believe it, you're already done painting the entire porch."

"Yes, and by the way it's not a porch it's a Ferrari."
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A doctor, a lawyer, a little boy, and a priest were in a small plane when it developed engine trouble. The pilot grabbed a parachute and told the passengers they had better jump too. But there were only three parachutes left.

The doctor said, "I save lives, so I must live," and bailed out.

The lawyer said, "I'm a lawyer, and lawyers are the smartest people in the world. I deserve to live." And he jumped.

The priest told the little boy, "My son, I've lived a long, full life. You take the last parachute."

The boy gave the parachute back to the priest and said, "Not to worry, Father, the smartest man in the world just took off with my backpack."
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These silly jokes are courtesy of a very funny group of folks on Cruise Critic

Do yourself a favor, don't forget to laugh everyday...I highly recommend it!

Little Miss Muffet

In all the different states and in all the different cities and in all the different towns we've lived in, during the last 33 years...there has been one common denominator, across the board, that we have had to deal with...WARNING: this may be a big EWWWW for some of you...it's the little creepy crawly creatures that come into our homes. Now I'm not in the habit of taking pictures of these little buggers (well not most of the time), but that does not mean they have not left an impression on me. I'm educated enough to know, that some are indigenous to particular areas of the country, but with that understanding, I've still not always been a gracious hostess to a few of our unwelcome house guests.

Flies, mosquitos and bees....oh my! We all get the occasional house fly buzzing around each spring when the doors and windows are first opened. Although for some strange reason, they don't appear to be a problem where we currently live. Growing up in New England, on the same street as a dairy farm, it was unlikely that we wouldn't have a couple annoying flies in the house from time to time. Also, in the dead of summer, no matter how good your screens usually kept them at bay, you could always count on a few mosquitos finding that pin hole opening, as they'd come blood sucking in the middle of the night. How many times have you woken out of a dead sleep, only to hear that persistent buzzing around your ears that signaled a pesky little critter was coming in for the kill??? And in the fall, right around apple picking season, the bees would be out in droves, and when they weren't hanging around the garbage cans, they'd be popping in and out of the windows, always trying to find their way back outside. It always seemed that they really didn't want to be inside....you wanted them out as much as they wanted to GET out.

I've always been a bit uncomfortable about killing insects...they are after all, each and every one of them, a living thing. And as the history and discovery channel like to remind us...they've been here on this planet just a "bit" longer than us two-legged creatures. Keeping that in mind, in quite a few instances of my "close encounters of the kritter kind" I try to gently escort them from the premises and silently suggest they'd be more comfortable elsewhere.

There are however, a few little creatures, that actually do make my skin crawl, and they, unfortunately do not have the pleasure of experiencing my otherwise live-and-let-live approach to removal. If memory serves me correctly, I became a fearless hunter (well almost, but it sure sounded good), when we first returned stateside from Germany, to live in what felt like the outback desert of Lawton, Oklahoma. Who knew so many new forms of annoying pests were soon going enter my life. First on the list of unwelcome guests....field mice. We moved into a newly built condo, which had a construction site next door. Those poor little mice had been ousted from their expansive field, and conveniently decided to take up residence at the next door neighbors.....I don't think so!!! I'll never forget how I discovered them one day...the food in my pantry seemed to be disappearing, one bite at a time. The cheetos where no longer long slim poofs of orange goodness...they now resembled a disfigured finger, with little nibbles taken out of all sides. YIKES....I had a new born baby upstairs...war was declared...and happy (just a little sorry) to say, we were victorious in battle.

Next stop, finally at the top of the waiting list for government quarters....we move on post...with a small baby and 2 year old toddler. Ah yes...a duplex....what resides next door....comes over to visit from next door, and I'm not referring to the nice couple that lived there. If you've never had the pleasure of living in military housing...well you aren't missing much except for a very inexpensive place to hang your hat. Another little critter, that I'm told has been in existence since the beginning of time, had taken up residence (which waiting list were they on I wonder???) in our small two bedroom home. Welcome to the world of cockroaches leaving trails of little brown spots across your counters and dishes. I had a crash course into the world of roach bombs, fumigation, and exterminators....once again, let the battle begin. I was instantly recalled for duty into the war against creepy crawly insects. I was a mother on a mission, and I didn't rest until each and every one of them was gone. It didn't sadden me one bit when we eventually left the Midwest and returned to the hills of New England three years later.

During the next two decades, we had our share of sugar ants, tree spiders, and assorted critters...it all goes hand in hand with living in the country. Unless I find an insect on my food or in my cupboards, I'm pretty lenient and we find a way to co-exist. Except of course in the case of fleas on my precious cats, then I'm once again called into battle. However, over the years, I'd educated myself in the ways of the war on pests, and discovered some non-toxic resolutions to the problem. I resorted to diatomaceous earth, which is scattered around the house and powdered onto the cats fur, as an alternative to chemicals. I was very pleased to find that this solution, nipped the problem right in the bud (forgive the pun--I'm told this is used on roses to rid them of beetles).

This brings me to how the initial idea for this post popped into my head...and believe me folks, even a fleeting thought, in a split second of time, can prompt me to fixate on a subject matter to write about in this blog.

As I stepped into the shower this weekend, there in the tub was a small spider...just clinging to the porcelain, doing whatever spiders do...certainly not hurting anyone or anything. I decided not to remove it, I figured If he survived my splashing about for the time it took me to complete my shower, he could just as well continue to hang out and either stay or find a drier spot to spend the day. I showered, he survived..and we parted ways. I've never been freaked out by spiders, and am in fact intrigued by some of the new creatures I was introduced to when we moved to Florida 10 years ago.

I am continually fascinated by the little geckos that run freely throughout this state. I actually think they are cute and have shooed a few out of our home at one time or another. I'm always sad to find a dead baby that somehow got caught and was not able to make its way out of something for whatever reason. One day at work, one found its way into the office and I was volunteered to remove it...no biggy, except they failed to mention that when you pick one up by the tail, it releases said tail...and runs away and you are left holding this wiggly little thing in your hand. Not only did I feel like I had just dissected something, but I still had to get that little trespasser out of the building.

Lastly, in all my travels I have never seen such strange looking creatures, which I am pleased to say, have NEVER been found to creep into our home, but reside pretty close by.


I see these "little" guys hanging out on the dock quite often, but have never been able to get close enough to snap a few pics. I had not noticed that they love jumping on the sail boat docked in our marina, until recently. After hanging out on the deck, they found a way to get down inside the boat...YIKES. I hate to see what the inside of that sail boat looks like after these neighborhood sqatters have taken over.




So, now you have been introduced to a few things that don't particularly BUG me :)

With rings on her fingers...and bells on her toes

I will be the first to admit that yes, I can be a bit strange.....and yes, I have a fascination for some strange things...and yes, I have a habit of taking pictures of some of those strange things that fascinate me. Interestingly enough (or maybe not to anyone other than me), this time, the fascination and picture taking are directed right back towards myself. Not sure why, don't even bother asking..I have no answer for you, because even I can't figure me out sometimes. Suffice to say, I always try to find the beauty in everything, and in this particular instance, the "beauty" is most certainly in the eyes of the beholder..and that would be yours truly.

So, I've mentioned in the past that I love to have my ten little piggies out in the fresh air whenever possible. More importantly, they are most happy when bare and splashing through the waves at the beach, or even the pool will do in a pinch.





Outer Banks, North Carolina--yes, I remember where I was when I took the picture :)

Please understand, that I do not exaggerate in making that statement...not even one little bit. When we lived up north I dreaded the winter, when among other things, I would have to cover up my toes, for many long dreary months, to stave off the onset of frostbite. Boots were not so bad, I actually own a few pair and enjoy wearing them, even for our short southern "winter" season, or when we travel north to visit family.





However, just a regular pair of closed shoes always left me with issues regarding the proper fit. In the past, I had never noticed any difference between my two feet, but I did begin to experience problems and had one shoe that would just never stay on my foot. It was annoying to buy those little soft sticky-backed pieces of moleskin to place inside the back of my shoe, in the area where the bone in the back of my foot, hit my shoe. None of my minor adjustments completely solved the problem, and I counted the days each year, until spring came and I could once again let my toes out to breath. The only solution to this strange problem, resulted in my search for winter shoes each year that either had no back, or I'd resort to wearing only boots for most of the cold season.





Clearwater beach--west coast of Florida, Hilton Hotel





Morning walks...West Palm Beach

When we finally decided to move to Florida, you could truthfully say I was happy from the top of my head right down to the tips of my toes. No more closed shoes for this gal...watch out flip flop city, here I come!!!





West coast of Florida--road trip last fall, note the long pants rolled up--chilly water here

Although over the years, I find myself walking through stores, and when I see a cute little pair of closed shoes, I think to myself, well maybe these will be different....they are just too pretty to be painful to wear. So, I'll try them on and they seem to feel ok...hmmmm, perhaps it's going to be different this time and the pain won't be there. Believe it or not, I buy them, take them home, wear them for a day...and they begin to slip off one foot. What is wrong with me???? Those shoes just sit on the floor, staring at me...saying "what were you thinking????" Will I ever learn? I slap on a band aide to cover the blister and shove the shoes to the back of my closet hoping that in the winter, if I just buy heavier socks, they will be comfortable. Who am I kidding? It's back to my flip flops, mules and sandals...swapping to boots when the temps drop to a "cool" 50 degrees.





Cruise ship--first transatlantic, my favorite view... me + the ocean = happy :)

When we first moved to the south, I spent every free waking moment in the sun, at the pool, in my flip flops...and I was iiiiiiiiin heaven. I had my very first pedicure 4 short weeks after we moved here as a part of a 41st birthday present to myself. It was so wonderful, and I still treat myself to one as often as time and $$ allow. I have a similar obsession with my fingernails, which started at a very young age, but that's another story.





Daytona Beach--we ran away from home for the weekend, my flip flops broke when we arrived at the hotel as I stepped into the elevator...time for some new ones...I guess!?!





These will do in a pinch...love that I can spend less than $10 on footwear...sometimes only $1 and I can find replacements at any drugstore

A female neighbor of ours once said that I had sexy feet....ummm come again? Feet can be sexy? Suuuuure (wink-wink) my feet are sexy-yikes. Ok, really NOT used to having anyone say that to me...but then again, this is Florida, and very little of the human body is hidden away from season to season...if you know what I mean!?! Anywhoooo, I then began a love affair, which continues to this day, with my very own feet and also every single pair of shoes that I decide to showcase them in (yes, I'm a shoe freak too), for the past 10 years.





Second transatlantic--view from our balcony...very happy

Now before you think I'm getting a big head about all this....aren't we supposed to love ourselves first, so that others can love us equally??? Oops, I almost forget...we (my feet and I) did not have a meeting of the "minds" on the whole marathon thing, and my feet eventually won that battle...well, perhaps we met in the middle and formed a truce. They agreed, just this once, to get me across the finish line (shortened though it might have been), and I agreed to never again, put them in another pair of closed sneakers.





Good thing there is a picture of this, because unless I can go barefoot, my marathon days are over!

Here's hoping that the memory of my uncomfortable feet, will over come the lack of memory in my brain.... if I could just remember to look the other way, when I see that next pair of really hot closed shoes!?!? "Do these come in a sling-back style perhaps?"


Up and over the bridges of Venice--these tough feet get me where I wanna be, no matter what shoes I have on!





Most of the time...this is exactly how to make my feet happy...flip flops and just hanging out at home, catching a few rays....I should go check and see if the sun is out.....almost forgot, I need to think about pulling out my boots, we are heading to Chicago on Saturday!


Think I could get one of these little things installed in my bathroom...my toes would have REALLY loved something like this after one of those long hot training days.

Although I make light about the subject of my toes, I have a great respect for every single part of my body. I'm very conscious, on a daily basis, of how it contributes to and provides me with, the quality of life I enjoy. As we age, its so important to be aware of your body's limitations, and to maintain it in a sensible manner. Simply put...you take care of it....it will take care of you!

Sunrise....Sunset....quickly goes the day

I'm not sure exactly when my fascination began with watching the sun rise each morning and set at the end of the day, or why I began taking pictures of it. It may have something to do with the fact that I go to bed early, and therefore I'm awake almost every morning, so I happen to actually see the sun come up on a daily basis. I'm quite sure, that I noticed the glory of it's quiet, peaceful ascent over the ocean, on one of our first cruise vacations. It wouldn't be until 11 years later, when we moved to Florida, that the true beauty of the rising and setting sun, caught my attention again.


Taken off the balcony of a cruise ship.

First and foremost, when you live in New England, and suffer through a harsh winter, as we did our last year in Connecticut, you can go days, weeks, even a month without seeing a beautiful sunny day. I don't need to tell you that it gets quite depressing when the "sun don't shine on me" for an extended period of time.








The view each morning when we lived in the high-rise in downtown West Palm Beach.

We spent a lot of time by the ocean when we initially moved to the south of Florida. We couldn't get enough of that warm sand and salt air, and would find ourselves at the beach almost every weekend. We lived directly on the intercoastal waterway, and the beach was a few miles away. During our 10 years living here, we've always chosen to be as close to the water as possible, and if not waterfront, then near enough to be shoreside within less than five minutes. At one point, we became boat owners and spent nights out on the water, enjoying a front row seat to many a spectacular sunrise, across the morning horizon.








The colors of the rising sun and the texture of the clouds created a beautiful blanket across the sky--view from our balcony

One characteristic of the Florida landscape, that I had been completely unaware of, lends itself to the beautiful vistas on both coasts. Who knew that you could watch the sun rise in the east, then easily turn around and watch it set in the west from the same vantage point. Simply put, where we live in the south of Florida, the land is completely FLAT. Undoubtedly, the most incredible views of the rising and setting of the sun, can be captured at the southernmost point of the United States in Key West. We've traveled there almost every year since moving to Florida...it draws us into it's web of islands like no other place on earth. I recall such fond memories of our first long drive down to the keys, it is like something I had never witnessed before. We return as often as possible to enjoy the beauty of true island life in the south. The locals host a nightly sunset ritual along the quayside in Key West, and everyone gathers to watch and photograph the sun, as it appears to slip into the ocean.








The panhandle of Florida, brilliant color without the actual sun--view from balcony

We were fortunate enough to live high enough in a condo tower that overlooked not only the inter coastal, but also in the distance, we could see the ocean. I recall many a morning jumping up to catch the sun as it rose in the east, and shed brilliant colors across everything in it's path. I felt like a young child discovering something new for the very first time.








An early morning walk on Juno Beach--view from the sand

At times, I would actually question my obsession with this silly fascination.....the sun rises and sets in almost everyplace....on this earth....every day...why did I struggle to capture this on film? I'm certainly not alone in my obsession, there are literally millions of people also in search of the perfect picture of the sun rising and setting against any manner of gorgeous backdrops. It never really matters, where we are, who we are visiting, what state or even what country we are in...when a beautiful view presents itself, I'll quickly take out my camera, and grab a quick shot. For me it is perhaps a very simple explanation, I am totally in awe of the colors that the rising and setting sun creates as it moves throughout the sky....Mother Nature at her best...a daily gift that solidifies in my mind, that life does go on.


During one of my training sessions last year--view from the sidewalk over the sand dunes








The sun setting over the west coast of Florida during our road trip--view from the car








The Outer Banks in North Carolina--view from vacation home








Early morning drive from Detroit to Glen Arbor, for Brian and Taryn's wedding--view from the car








The sun sets over the lake the night before the wedding-view from Taryn's grandmother's home








Last glimpse of light on our first evening in Glen Arbor--view from Mike and Martha's home








Sun setting off the back of the cruise ship--view from our balcony








Sun setting over Key West--view from the hotel roof








Sunrise over the golf course--view from the balcony at Doral Resort








Good morning sunshine--view from our balcony on the ship


The current view from home each morning....Florida, I am so in love with you :)








Sunrise, a boat and the ocean...I doesn't get much better than this!

These are a few of my favorite things......

Ok, you may think that just because I am home from vacation and our 12-day eating extravaganza is over, that I've discontinued my love affair with all things food related...ummmm, I don't think so!!!

I'm still a die hard chocoholic and although I'm not currently sitting in the Martini Bar throwing back those chocolate martinis, it doesn't mean I'm not thinking about them...and everything else that was covered in chocolate that I encountered, while we were traveling.

My love affair with chocolate started at a young age, and although candy in our house was in short supply, except for the very obvious times of the year, it didn't mean I loved it any less. The old saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder" didn't refer to my longing for a boy (that is, until I turned 14), my heart would only skip a beat when anything in the chocolate family presented itself to me. I counted down the days each year, patiently waiting for Christmas, Easter and my all time favorite childhood holiday....drum roll please...HALLOWEEN!!!!!


What a teenage girl wouldn't do for a bag of chocolate??? Even back then i had no shame when it came to how, when and where I obtained a chocolate fix. Love the fake eyebrows and what is left of the drawn-on mustache and beard....wow I forgot how long my hair was then...even pulled back during my transformation into a "man" it would sneak around my shoulder and give my disguise away...yikes!

When in a child's life can they indulge in all things sugar-loaded, than during the days, weeks and even months following that wonderful neighborhood "begging session"??? I still have fond memories of counting out my haul and deciding what would get eaten first, what things were second-string candy, and what pieces had the ultimate trading power. You could not be slow on the uptake, in our house the trade was on a crucial first-come first-serve basis. This is when our growing numbers came in candy, oops, I mean handy.....the more bags of goodies we collected, the more there was to trade. Six kids, with six large sacks (I think at one point we were using old pillow cases) of candy, makes for an interesting bidding war and negotiating session. After the initial flurry of wheeling and dealing was over, all bets were off and we were each on our own. Then the goal was to see how long you could make your personal stash last...I don't recall my parents being all that strict on how much we could eat. As a matter of fact, we kept the candy in our rooms, which we all know was the only way to protect our precious treasures. It probably also contributed to a few late night noshing sessions and my future addiction to the hard stuff. Wait a minute, my future addiction....who am I kidding...I was already head over heels in love with this stuff.

When I think back to those years, I realize that my only saving grace, and what ultimately kept me out of the plus size clothing racks, was the simple fact that we only indulged in the sweet stuff a few times a year. Not to say we didn't have the usual cookies and ice-cream during our normal meals, but this was all very much regulated and doled out in small portions....just enough to feed my chocolate addiction and keep my nice healthy eating regimen in check. In other words, we got two cookies a day in our lunch bag, and a small dish of ice cream covered in Hershey's Syrup after dinner. There was not a lot of baking going on in our house, and if it did occur, it was more than likely something out of a box. Again, home made cookies were a treat around the holidays, and cake was something we had for birthdays only. Not to say we didn't have plenty of those, at least 8 times a year, we were guaranteed to have a cake for dessert. At some point when I became a teenager, I just decided to start baking for the family. I was always jealous when kids at school (and again...this is soooo not about boys, yet!), would pull homemade baked goods out of their lunch bags. I recall falling in love (yes, still food related) with my best friend's mother, a yet unknown woman, who baked cookies, brownies and other assorted yummy sweets, and packed them for her daughter's school lunch (we packed our own lunches and had store bought cookies--yes, I know....I had SUCH a deprived childhood--how DID I ever survive???) This woman won my chocoholic heart, and I didn't even know her name...I am pleased to say, that she eventually became the grandmother of my two children, but that's another story.

Back to my current eating obsession and let's take a short little stroll down memory lane...you do know that this is exactly one of the main reasons I have taken pictures of my food for years, and ultimately began to write my food blog...so that while I'm home sitting on the couch, counting down the days to our next vacation, I can browse back through my photos, remembering each and every meal, and dream about the next time I'll be on board the ship indulging in my favorite past time....EATING! (during the writing of this post, I'll have you know I was eating 5.3 oz. of plain non-fat greek yogurt--with a tiny drizzle of truffle infused honey...tasty, but nothing compared to the bounty on this page)

Let's keep the drooling to a minimum...I know I'm doing my best, but this IPad screen may get a bit soppy, I'm just not going to be held responsible if things get out of control.


You probably don't recall this cute little tasty dessert because I never posted this picture. There is a very good reason why this particular photo was relegated to the "do not use" pile that day. First and foremost, it was the day of our renewal, and our lunch was pretty much forgettable. If you will recall, or maybe you won't because I failed to mention it...it was the one and only day we had lunch in the dining room on the ship. Every other sea day (we only had 4), we were either at the buffet or the Aqua Spa Cafe and for the remainder of the cruise, or we were off the ship during the lunch hour. So, this little chocolate desert is making it's pictorial debut, and if I recall correctly, is was the perfect ending to a not so great meal. We originally chose to eat in the dining room, because we were still dressed in our wedding finery. It just made more sense to be served a sit down meal rather than schlepping a tray full of food, while holding up the train on my wedding gown, as I strolled through the buffet line. We also had an hour to kill between the ceremony, our earlier photography session and our time on the bridge for our final pictures, as we cruised up the Grand Canal into Venice. We were both a bit hungry, having not eaten since early morning. It was probably the first time all day, where neither of us had butterflies in our stomachs. I couldn't think of anything better to do under those circumstances....could you?


GeLOTo (not the correct spelling, but just how I felt about the substantial portion, I was about to attempt to eat) I did eat a LOT of it....this one is especially rich and chocolatey....which, if memory serves me correctly, was a part of the "eyes-where-bigger-than-my-stomach" serving of four scoops...which I would have completely eaten if I hadn't just had a slice of pizza. Most times, the gelato was my meal...this time I really overdid it. There were a few mouthfuls left in the bottom of the cup when I sadly dumped it in the trash...sacrilege to the people who worship in the house of all things chocolate :)


A little creepy to look at, but where else would you find chocolate shaped face masks, but in Venice of course!!!! Kinda lends itself to the whole Halloween part of this story...


The bakeries in every port we visited, were truly a feast for the eyes. We have nothing that even comes close to this type of shop here in Florida...if I lived in NYC, it would be another story...probably the reason I love to visit cities, but wouldn't want to live there. Looking forward to eating some yummy stuff on our trip next Saturday to see Brian and Taryn in Chicago.


Just a couple more to tempt your taste buds...


This was one of my favorite types of special cookies I found on the ship. I was first introduced to it during our formal tea in Muranos restaurant. Then, much to my delight, I discovered them a few days later at afternoon tea in the buffet...you can be assured, that when I am once again on board a Celebrity ship, I will be keeping a very keen eye out for these delicious little babies.


My second and sadly last few bites....chewy, sweet, oatmealy goodness...dipped in chocolate...oh man...this is tougher for me than it is for all of you because I actually KNOW how good these things taste!!!!


And last but not least, and totally unrelated to chocolate...this one-of-a-kind shot. If you will recall, several of the food photos I took, were through a glass window (always a good idea to keep the addicts a safe distance away from the goodies), so therefore, more often than not, I had reflection issues to deal with. In this particular instance, it actually contributed to the overall picture. I had on a colorful dress, and the large stack of black licorice was just dark and dense enough, that the definition of the dress design reflected back and combined itself with the candy. How appropriate that my love of food and desire to share it with everyone, was captured in this unique and interesting photograph. It just goes to show you....there is always a little bit of "me" in every picture that I take!