PACKED AND READY TO GO!

I am packed and ready to go on the cruise!  I am so looking forward to it.  Last year's cruise was a disaster - had to disembark in Canada after my father-in-law had a stroke from which he ultimately died.  It was awful.

But this is a new year and a new cruise and I am very excited to be seeing Eileen and Val and Pat and of course my cookie Mario!

Bon Voyage my friends!  I will try to update during the cruise but I have to tell you that at $3.75 a minute I may not do it until I get back!!! LOL!!

POKER RUN IN THE FLORIDA KEYS!

Motorcycles cover the islands of the Florida Keys during the Poker Run.  The motorcyclists stop at certain places (bars I think) and pick up a card from each place.  When they get down to Key West they will have a hand of cards and they actually play poker!  I'm not sure exactly the way it works (I'm not the motorcycle type) but that's the gist of it.

My brother Albert and my sister Lisa (his wife) ARE biker dude and dudette!! They are my heros!

Yep, I wanna grow up and be Lisa!

MY SWEET LUCKI!

THIS is truly unconditional love!

JUST A FEW MORE DAYS!!!

Until the cruise!!!  Of course I am excited about the fact that I will be taking classes with Tim and visiting with my sweet Mario... but I am even MORE excited at the fact that I am GETTING OUT OF HERE!!!

I so need some down time!  It's been a tough month and next month will be worse! So this "in between" time is very much appreciated.

I probably wont be posting anything before I leave but will make sure and give you guys a blow by blow of the cruise!  I learned my lesson last time after my cell bill was about $600! I have to post and/or call once I'm off the ship at any of the islands! If you use the internet or the phone on the ship they use their own service which, as you can imagine, is total robbery!

So I will be posting as we dock and sending you pictures of all the goodies!!

Have a great week everyone!!!

BRAVE GIRLS MOTIVATION FOR THE DAY!

MY FIRST VIDEO!

Not perfect by a long shot but not too bad for my first video!  I really love this book and wanted to share!

I made this mini book using a tutorial by Kathy from Paper Phenomenon.  If you are not familiar with this site or with Kathy please go by and say hi!  Not only is she incredibly talented, but she's got a fantastic personality that makes her videos really enjoyable.

Anyway, without further adoooooooo..... here you go!  It says CLICK HERE TO CHANGE TITLE but I have no idea why!!!  Just watch the video!!  LOL!!!



The paper I used is by DCWV and it's called Tattered Time.

She is EVIL I tell you!!!

Miss Maddie!  As different from her sister Kaitlynn as night and day!  How evil does this child look?????

Maddie is just so much fun!  Where Kaitlynn is prissy and girly and afraid of everything... Maddie is rough and tumble and in your face.  She is a hoot!

TOILET PAPER TUBE PROJECT

My friend Lillian is hosting a toilet paper tube project.   Yep!  Toilet paper tubes!!  Talk about recycling!  The project requires that we use the colors black, red, tan and cream.  These are my contribution to this swap:

THE WEEKEND IS OVER

Hope you guys had a great Labor Day weekend.  I had the grand daughters here all weekend so got nothing else done but hanging with them!

They left early today and my husband and I went jet skiing with my daughter and her boyfriend.  We had not done that for a while (jet skiing) and we had a great day.  The weather was amazing, the ocean a platter of blue hues...

We were sitting on the pier after we brought the skis in just relaxing before loading them on the trailer when a school of dolphins came up a few feet from us. They were jumping in the air and playing... it was just such an amazing sight!

We see dolphins all the time but not this close up and not in such a splendid display of fun and beauty.  It makes me sigh just to remember how gorgeous they are.

You know how everyone tells you to watch out for those "special moments" in your day?  Well this was just magical.  The sun was setting in the horizon.. the sky was blue and orange and yellow... and here are these wonderful wonderful creations of God just having a fabulous time playing and showing off....

Just doesn't get any better than this.  Hope your weekend held some magic for you too.

MINI MISS PHOTO SHOOT!!!

Kaitlynn and Maddie are spending the weekend with me.  Yes... it's okay... you can feel sorry for me....

While Maddie takes a nap (which in and of itself is a miracle!) Leonor put makeup on Kaitlynn and the Mini Miss wanted me to take her picture...

Are we in trouble or what???

BRAVE GIRLS 9/2/11

Dear Clever Girl,

You know so much more than you give yourself credit for. You have learned so many things that you have forgotten that you have already learned, and you have done so many more things than you let yourself remember.

It's easy to think you haven't made it very far, or that you don't know very much, or that everyone else is miles ahead of you. But beautiful friend, really really really think about all that you have done since you were a little girl. You have done SO MUCH, you have endured SO MUCH, you have learned SO MUCH and you have taught others SO MUCH.

It feels good sometimes to just think about what you know, and how you came to know it, especially the things deep in your heart that you know for absolutely sure -- things that no one can ever take away from you.

Really think today about what you know, what you stand for, what you have learned and what you have taught, what you can share and what holds you together, the knowledge, wisdom and experiences that you have EARNED because you lived through them.

You are a phenomenal woman. Do you remember now?
Try not to forget again, ok?

You are so amazing.
xoxo

GETTING READY FOR MY CRUISE!!!

I CAN'T' WAIT for this cruise!  I so need a break!  My friend Eileen Bellomo who is also going on the cruise and is one of the most talented ladies I have ever met, used a Smash Book for her travel journal for this cruise.  I will admit I had not thought of using a Smash Book but today I came home and decorated one and love the way it looks!  I absolutely love the whole Smash Book concept and I think Eileen is BRILLIANT to have thought of this!!!

This will be my cruise journal:

Brave Girl Birdie 9/1/11

Dear Courageous Girl,

Please don't for one minute think that you are not courageous just because you are afraid. Please do not minimize your power just because you are feeling a little lost. Please do not believe that you are not on the right track just because you are in a bit of a slump....and most of all, please do not EVER think that you are the only one who has hard days, rotten days, weak days and even days when you feel like you have messed up everything, gone backwards or that all is lost. Even your greatest heroes and role models have days just like you have.

These feelings will pass. If all you can do is HOPE that these feelings will pass, it will be enough. Never lose hope. You made it to now, and you will make it to tomorrow. The clouds will blow over, the sunshine will come again and you will have learned a few new lessons along the way. BEING BRAVE does not mean that you do not sometimes feel scared, weak and lost....it just means you keep going anyway.....and that is what you do best.

You can do this, friend...you really can. Keep going........don't stop now!

You are so loved!

xoxo