Sunday, August 31, 2008

Gustav aka Katrina II



This one's bad folks. Real bad. Words like 'catastrophic' and 'devastation' come to mind. And even in our technologically advanced age, there's nothing we can do to stop it. God and Mother Nature are still in control.
Thoughts and prayers for all those in harm's way.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Yes, my partisanship is showing...........


but how amazing is this election turning out to be?! May the best man and woman WIN!

Friday, August 29, 2008

A little out there........

Some of you may remember a post I made awhile back about the slightly off the wall questions that this child comes up with. Well, last night we got this one............
"Mom or Dad, how do boogers get in our nose?" Ummmmmmmmmmm

"Dad" was no help at all, immediately throwing it off to me. I made an attempt at explaining mucus and such (yuck) and then went to find help. I never knew there was an ask.com for kids, but I do now, AND I have it bookmarked! So in case you ever wondered where boogers come from, or any other fun questions, here is the site to help you.

http://www.askkids.com/

Saturday, August 23, 2008

The Sun has Returned!


"But soon we'll rejoice and be alright,
When the clouds roll back and reveal the light."
(B .Penatzer)


Rejoicing today in Florida!

Friday, August 22, 2008

Too close for comfort!














TS Fay is up near the panhandle now, but the trailing feeder bands are still dumping on us. This is our yard after 6" of rain fell in 45 minutes today! They say we may see the sun a little bit tomorrow. We are ready! We have all had enough of Florida's "liquid sunshine".

Thursday, August 21, 2008

We cry UNCLE!

We are currently receiving unbelievable amounts of rain and the highest winds since Fay came onshore. She is at least moving a little now, after being stalled for hrs. last night and today. But even then, she's only moving N-NW at about 5 mph.

We can't complain as our home is still high and dry. Much more fortunate than those on the east coast who have received 20+ inches of rain and whose homes are flooded. But enough is enough!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Tropical Storm Fay

For all of us here in the middle of the state, Fay was an annoyance, more than anything. And now, since it looks as if she might turn around and come back, we can expect more wet, windy weather....but nothing more. If this is as bad as it gets this hurricane season, we will consider ourselves very fortunate.

Monday, August 18, 2008

1st Day of 2nd Grade



And she's off!!!

Back to School!















She's had her clothes laid out since yesterday morning! This kid is excited! She can't wait to put on all her new stuff and head out to school. Our school district implemented a uniform policy this year, but she doesn't seem to mind much. She's got the "coolest" shoes, and what little girl wouldn't want her very own Jimmie Johnson backpack!? LOL.

The excitement may be short lived however. Tropical Storm Fay is threatening to become a hurricane and could impact us as soon as tomorrow afternoon/evening. Schools are preparing to close if necessary.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

The Great HAUL of China!



8 for 8 in 2008!
INCREDIBLE!!!

Ruh-Roh!

Most of our hurricane preparations have been made. Based on that, it should move well away from us. lol But if not, we're ready. How's that for timing?........school starts Monday the same day the storm is due.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

WOW!


Need I say more?

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Monday, August 11, 2008

Turkeys & Chicken Hawks & Cranes




OH MY!!!

Wild turkeys wander thru our yard nearly every day now. I've counted as many as 13 at a time.

We have at least one chicken hawk around most days........sometimes as many as 3, all screeching at the same time!

And the cranes are ever present.

All of this while our 6 cats roam the property.

Bird-brains!!! LOL

Sunday, August 10, 2008

My beautiful little sister..........

on her wedding day! She's gorgeous isn't she? And he's not too bad either. LOL. Congratulations Lois and Kurt!!! Here's to a long and happy life together.
Love you guys.

Friday, August 8, 2008

8-8-08

Yes it's opening day of the Beijing Olympics. But it's also my little sister Lois' wedding day!

Many congratulations Lois and Kurt!!! Sending thoughts, prayers and well wishes for a beautiful ceremony and a long and happy life together. We love and miss you!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

The Beijing Olympics




I was reminiscing with my friend Audra this morning. Audra traveled to China with me to adopt Mailia. We were talking about how cool it's been lately to see all the sites of Beijing being shown on tv and being able to say "hey, we were there!" The Great Wall, Tienanmen Square, and the Countdown Clock. I took these pictures almost two years ago. The countdown clock shows 650 days until the Olympics. Wow!!! The Olympics start tomorrow.......where did those 650 days go?!?!?!?!?
PS...........Yes, it really is this smoggy. :-(

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Mailbox Baseball

I'm guessing that if you've never been a victim of Mailbox Baseball, you probably know someone who has. I'm also guessing that it's aggravating and costly to repair/replace. Well I have a story to share that is guaranteed to make you smile, if not snicker, snort or chuckle.
This story was shared by another adoptive mom on our agency's yahoo group. I asked permission to link her story here and she told me to 'share away'. Here is the link. http://kimlilyblog.blogspot.com/
If you don't laugh, you may be dead. LOL

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Aunt Sheila was Here!!!














And a great time was had by all! "Girl Time" for 10 glorious days. Sheila (my sister) wanted a true stress-free vacation and when she left yesterday, she concluded that she got exactly what she wanted. For the most part, we did absolutely nothing. And loved every minute of it.........tons of talking, catching up, laughing, and lounging by and in the pool. Did I mention laughing??? LOL
It's hard to plan much of anything outdoors during the summer in Central Florida. It rains pretty much every day in the afternoons. We had decided that we wanted to go to the beach at least one day while Sheila was here. And we knew we would have to go early and be prepared to leave by as early as lunch time. We've done it before and we'll do it again, but it makes for a very rushed and exhausting day. I love the beach, but with a pool in the backyard it's not something we do very often. I don't remember exactly how it happened, but something was mentioned about how wonderful it would be to get a room on the beach and watch the sunrise. Voila!!! Friday morning we had hair appts. for Sheila and Mailia and then we were on our way to Daytona Beach! Sheila sprung for a room at a cheap hotel on the beach, I bought the gas, and by 1:00 that afternoon we were playing in the surf. Ahhhhhhh. It just doesn't get any better than that. We visited the boardwalk in the evening, walked the beach late that night and was up to watch the sunrise the next morning. It was beautiful and soooo therapeutic. Then it was back in the water, a final dunk in the pool and then we headed down to Ponce Inlet. Drove the jeep out onto the beach which Mailia thought was the coolest thing ever, that is until we buried the back tires in the soft sand. But we quickly flagged down some guys who helped us get out. We made our way to a park near the lighthouse (with a paved parking area), and walked out to the beach via the boardwalk. Mailia was quickly in the water while we were content to just sit on the beach. Within minutes M. was running back to shore, out of breath and soooooo excited, asking if she could ride on "that boy's" surfboard. Apparently an extremely attractive (our opinion) and extremely generous young surfer had offered her a ride on his board. We said yes and away she went. She loved it and of course now wants a surfboard. LOL. We eventually headed out and made our way to Cocoa Beach where we stopped at the pier for some awesome shrimp and then headed for home. We crammed a lot into those two days. So much so, that it felt like we'd been on a mini-vacation while on vacation. LOL.
It is 'back to reality' now, but I feel energized from the wonderful time we had. Many memories were made and that's what it's all about. We miss you Aunt Sheila! Thanks for the good times and all those new memories. We love you 'to the moon and back'. LOL.
Here's a few pix from our wild and wacky week.