A Little Craziness for the Holidays

So we woke up this morning with the power out. Not the thing you want to find when you need to put the Christmas roast in the oven in a short time for Christmas brunch. But, luckily the good guys at the power company fixed it and the lights were back on.

I wanted to share some pictures from last night - hubby and my official 2007 Christmas photo didn't come out. BUT, there were photos that DID come out. Drum roll please!

Karen and Joe putting on the dog...well or as we called it, Disco Christmas - alluding to Karen's shirt - Joe even coordinated.


Mom and Dad. Looking dapper and lovely as always. Seriously - Dad looks the same in almost every picture - he's got the photo smile always ready to pull out of the back pocket.


Greg here is excited because we are about to sit down for dinner. mmmm...ham! Now remember the comment about Dad above? Greg has the same thing - kinda. This is one of the more natural smiles for him. Maybe it's the ham. See the photo at the end - I could have photoshopped the head?


This is Laura showing her wacky side during opening of presents. This is a common expression too. If you recall me mentioning that in an earlier post. Pretty funny.


This is Dad opening a lovely set of wrenches from Karen and Joe. I know - every guy can do their best Tim the Toolman Taylor impersonation.


This is the lovely self-portrait Karen took Christmas Eve before dinner. This is how she looks BEFORE all the makeup and hair -- see prior photo.


Laura and Greg at church. Yes - Laura does wear something besides jeans and a t-shirt. To be nice - we were lucky she was there - she had a taxing work day and we are happy she made it.


Finally - here's Laszlo with his Christmas Eve dinner. As you can tell he wasn't ecstatic to be getting his photo taken - his dinner was getting cold.

Anyways. Once again...Merry Christmas all and to all a good night. Unfortunately my vacation has come to an end..so my blog vacation has officially ended.

On to 2008 - Can't believe next year is next week.

From My Family to Yours

I've been on a self-imposed vacation from the computer during my vacation from work so to help my sore hands catch a break.

But I wanted to drop by to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. The wrapping is almost done - I'm waiting for a package from Amazon still!, the halls are decked and the famous green bean casserole is finished. I'm ready to enjoy the holiday.

And this is a special year for my family. This is the first time in six years that all of the siblings will be in the same city. It's a cool thing. Tonight we attend "midnight" mass (actually at 10 p.m. - yeah - I don't get it either - and then there are gifts will be exchanged. Tomorrow the in laws come to our home to celebrate.

So to all - enjoy the holiday season. Take time to sit back and enjoy those peaceful moments, laugh, and remember all you can because it's over quickly.

Merry Christmas!

Gold and Gold..

While cleaning the house and then putting up the Christmas decorations I now realize I am attracted to the color gold. As I was taking the decorations out yesterday and today as I sit with both boxes of Christmas cards, I noticed that I have been purchasing gold colored items that that are both inside and outside the house.

I never thought of myself as a gold person. But I guess I am.

From the angel clothed in golden threads on the top of my tree, to the gold balls down below to the golden curtains next to the tre in my dining room to the golden ribbon on the wreath on my golden yellow house to the gold on both of the boxes of cards I bought last year. I am truly surrounded by the color.

I'm not sure what this means. But if anyone notices me buying something in gold lame', please stop me. I guess I'm attracted to shiny things...or maybe it's my sparkling personality. ;-)

Happy Birthday Sister Laura

Today is the 31st birthday of my little sister Laura. This is the first year in many that she is home so she can celebrate with the family. In fact, we are getting set to head over to Mom and Dads to have yummy dinner and gifts and the cake deal.

So Happy Birthday sis - it's great to celebrate with you!

A Doodle and a Request

I was so happy to see my friend and fellow blogger Pat has brought back the very popular Mr. Doodle's Dog to the blogosphere. Pat and her furry family members bring a jovial look at being a canine and/or feline. As a fellow animal lover with a cat, a snake and a school of fish I felt it was important to help her (in my small way) get the word out about the monster who kept 97 wire fox terriers in deplorable conditions and if a judge makes the wrong choice, he may get some of the dogs back.

I know that many people will wonder aloud why we should spend time and energy on animals when we as humans have so many issues to deal with. I really think it is symtomatic of a society where we can allow any one or animal be abused. Especially those who can least protect themselves.

So please take a few minutes to read Mr. Doodle's plea.

Welcome back to the Doodle's - we've missed ya.

Happy Birthday Mr. Cooooee, Happy 30th to You!

I would be remiss if I hadn't taken a moment to wish our friend Roy a happy 30th Birthday! I know technically it was yesterday, but today the fun continues with Roy's Roast - which we will leave for shortly.

This man is a great guy with a big heart, a passion for NASCAR (I don't know if one should brag about that), a wicked sense of humor and a love for the Simpsons that is only matched by his brother's.

So Happy Birthday my friend! I toast with a Bud for you this weekend!

Presidential Politicing

Due to work, I was able to attend the Republican Presidential debate in St. Petersburg last night. I have to say it was a good time. It was fun just to people watch. From the national media, including the very svelte Anderson Cooper to tough-guy Chuck Norris (who has freakishly white teeth and is surprising short)to senators and representatives and the "executives" from UTube. But there were just lots of white middle-aged and older wealthy people. There was definitely lack of diversity.

One cool item, the back of my husbands and my head were on CNN. Kinda cool.

What I came away with was the knowledge that I know who I really really dislike and would never in a million years vote for. Namely Ron Paul and Mitt Romney. Yuck times 10. And I felt bad because I wanted to like John McCain. But the poor man just looked beat down, tired - heck I thought his coloring was a little on the gray side.

Anyhow, it was an interesting to watch. Interesting indeed.

Shoppers - Start Your Wallets

So Mom and I braved the retail world early this morning. We were at our first shop around 7:30 or so and finished before Noon. There were deals to be had - in fact there were a few gifts for myself along the way. Exciting things, drapes and two shirts. But I made a nice dent in the holiday shopping. I even got Hubby into the act by sending him to Target. Mom said she wasn't sure she wanted to go this year, but I told her it was tradition. That she could sleep in the afternoon. Happy Black Friday.

Happy Thanksgiving

I'm starting to change my take on Thanksgiving. I think this holiday has gotten the short shrift in the holiday season mix. Rather than people enjoying the day for what it is and really thinking about what they should be thankful for, people are putting up their Christmas decorations and thinking first and foremost what they will buying tomorrow morning. In the stores Christmas music has been playing for more than a month and finding something that looks like Autumn or with a turkey is not easy.

So take a moment to sit and really take stock of all the blessings you have in your life. I know I don't do that enough.

So I'm here to say that I have some pretty great things to be thankful for this year:

1. I am relatively healthy.
2. I am gainfully employed with good benefits and the chance to move up.
3. I am happily married to my best friend.
4. I live in a safe neighborhood in a cozy little home.
5. I have a great family - parents, sisters and brother-in-laws, not to mention all the aunts, uncles and cousins around the country.
6. I've got a core of wonderful friends who I can always rely on.
7. I was blessed so much that I was able to go on two vacations this year and see a little more of the world.
8. I'm thankful for my faith that keeps me grounded and helps me see that I should give thanks every day rather than only once a year. I want to strive to get gratitude more into my life.

So Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Take some time and really think about what you are thankful for. I bet it's more than you think.

Your Moment of Cat Zen

This was Tiger fast a sleep yesterday afternoon. Get your inner awwww on.

So Much Stuff..Where to Start

I have decided we have too much crap in this house. I am sure that at the time when we acquired a lot of it, it was really cool. But now, so much of it is shoved into closets where I can hardly find anything. And I am really beginning to understand I don't need lots of it.

So I am looking to go through it and decide what stays and goes. But it MUST happen. I am starting to understand I feel more restful when my surroundings aren't such a mess.

It's funny because I never thought I'd believe that. Messes used to never bother me. Maybe I am starting to finally understand it's not stuff that makes you happy. So I need to go through my stuff and keep only the stuff that I really love, the rest can find a new home where someone will love it.

Ooo! It's Chilly Outside!

So Winter came to the Tampa Bay area yesterday. It was may 65 today and tomorrow morning it is supposed to be in the lower 40s. Brr!

I love it!! It's an entirely new wardrobe. Jeans without sweating, a sweater, pajamas, slippers and maybe even a jacket in the morning.

I know there are many people up north who would laugh at me. That mid-60's is not cool enough for a sweater, let alone a jacket. But to those of us who have lived in Florida for a long time, this is cool. We Floridians will gladly pull out those heavier clothes, I'm sure tonight there will be people with hats, scarves and mittens outside. But hey, if we didn't do it now, when would we do it?

I know in a short time it will be warm again, but I'll take this while I can. Besides, all those Northerns laughing at me now, who is laughing in January when you are freezing and wishing the sun would just come out? Um, could it be me? :-)

Movie of Note

Last night we watched A Mighty Heart. It's the story of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was murdered in Pakistan by terrorists I didn't know what to expect from it and I'm not a really big Angelina Jolie fan. But I have to say this movie was excellent and Jolie was great. I know, I can't believe I just typed that either. I just cannot imagine the pain Marianne Pearl went through and how she soldiered through the investigation and losing her husband eventually.

Plus, it reminds everyone the danger journalists around the world have and continue to face as there are many countries around the world that do not protect the rights, let alone the lives of journalists.

Anyways, what I am trying to say is go see this movie.

Happy Birthday Mom!

I wanted to take a moment to wish my Mom a very happy birthday today. We just had a little shin-dig where we celebrated it up. There was a lovely dinner, champagne and cake. Yum!

So happy birthday Mom. We love you!

One Thing Leads to Another

So it started innocently enough. I have been noticing that my six-year-old comforter was looking pretty shabby. Some of the seams were coming apart and it was faded and spotted. So I decided to get a new one. Along came my birthday and some Tar-gey gift cards and there was an opportunity to get a new one for a little bit of money. So $10 of my dollars later, I have a lovely new comforter set.

I finally got around to putting it on this morning. The bed looks great! And now everthing else looks old and shabby. First there needs to be new curtains - which makes sense since they are the wrong color now and they are more faded than the comforter was. But in the back of my head I am thinking, darn, this furniture looks so dated and I really don't like it any more. With that there's also thoughts of, I wonder what the walls would look like with a fresh coat of paint in the new color scheme I have created?

I think the new comforter has created a monster. And I have learned something today. Once you get something new, it makes your the rest of your shabby things look even shabbier.

Hmmm...the bathroom next to master is also looking bad...paint? New tile? What about a new shower door? No wonder Lowes and Home Depot are so successful!

Look Ma, No Wires!

So the Husband and I finally came into the 21st century this week. We now have wireless at home. Sp far I like it. I can sit here and surf the net and be sitting on the couch. And for work purposes I do not have to be chained to office. Although, in a sense, it makes it easier to become chained to the job because I can just open the laptop up and work whenever. So maybe that part isn't the best.

In other news, a belated Happy Birthday to my Dad. On Wednesday we celebrated the big day with him. Had lots of fun. So Happy Birthday Dad!

And Fall officially came to the Tampa Bay area. In fact it was about 50 in the morning yesterday. Cool enough that I should have not worn open-toed shoes to work. My toes out in the open were COLD!

Well - Happy Friday everyone!! And Laura, sorry I haven't been "saysing" enough for you. It's just when you sit in front of a computer all day, most days the last thing I want to do it type again. But now with the laptop and wireless..who knows??

Happy All-Hallows Eve!

I love Halloween. Well, I love the idea behind Halloween. I don't love the commercial holiday it has become. Where every one buys store-bought costumes and decorations and where trick-or-treating at the mall has become the norm rather than walking the streets of your neighborhood. And where it's not dark still because of stupid day light savings.

I know there are lots out there who talk about how evil the holiday is to them. Well, to me, it's more about imagination. Dressing up as something you aren't, commiserating with your friends and neighbors and just letting go and having fun.

Anyways. I'll still give out candy if any kids make it to my door. And I hope they do. So everyone - let your inner kid out because it's time to play - to be child-like. You've got lots of other days to be serious and Halloween isn't the day for it.

Huh?

Ok, I just watched Donnie Darko. I have one request. Would someone pleasae be kind enough to tell me what the heck I just saw? Seriously. I have NO idea what I just saw. I even have the more recent director's cut which I understand is a little easier to understand. Now I have to go into Blockbuster and get the set so I can see the second disk just to know what the heck I saw.

That's it, Laszlo is on restriction from the queue on our Blockbuster account. And that bunny costume --- I'm just creeped out.

Vacation Remix

I was going through the 250 pictures we have from vacation - and the videos which I am still trying to work on Blogger, and thought I'd share a few pictures.


This picture was taken right outside of Fred's General Mercantile on Beech Mountain. This place has every thing a person could want up on a mountain. From hiking boots, wine and beer to the NY Times and overalls. They really did it up for Fall. Heck, there were pumpkins everywhere up there - but they don't spoil in 90 degree heat like they do in Florida.


This is Joe standing on the Appalachian Trail. He had just finished a book about a man who had walked all 2160 miles and he though it would be cool to walk down off the path to Clingman's Dome to stand on the trail - and relieve himself. Not everyone can say they went to the bathroom on the Appalachian Trail.


In the lower left hand corner you can see Karen staring up at some rock formations in the Linville Caverns. Caves are really cool - literally - it's like 52 all year round. Just remember, if you are claustrophobic, this tour is not for you. I'm not generally, but at one point in the tour when they shove the entire group in this narrow hallway so you are standing over the lake with no bottom, I wanted to yell "get me out of here!"






The third picture is Joe, Karen and Laura at one of the lookouts off the Blue Ridge Parkway. I was glad we stopped at this one. You have to take this little path that leads you down to this overlook. There are not many words for it other than stunning.
And that's the problem with the Blue Ridge Parkway, all you see to all sides is stunning and you could take a picture at every turn.




Finally this is a shot on our final day, it was about 32 degrees at the time, and it's the house we spent the week at. Laszlo's locking the door. Even though he's in short sleeves, it's 32 degrees at that point. What a great place though. I miss waking up every morning and rushing to look out the windows to see what the view has in store. Everyone needs a little wonder in their life. We don't have lots of it anymore. And that's one of the best parts about traveling - it's all the stopping along the way and seeing things you never have before. I can't wait to travel again. I'm thinking Montana.

I'm Bacckk

It's been a hectic week at work. The CEO of the company I worked for suddenly and very unexpectedly died while I was on vacation. So when I came back on Monday there was a flurry of activity surrounding a memorial service the next day. And plus just trying to find my way out of the e-mail that accumulated over a week.

I am ready for the weekend! And it starts tonight by watching my favorite college football team - the USF Bulls take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Now all you haters, get over it, they are #2 for the moment. Why can't you be happy for them? Yes, I am talking to you Gator fans who think they are better than everyone else.

Any how. Sister-who-recently-returned and her hubby are coming over so I'd better get ready.

And once again --> GO BULLS!