An Award and I've been tagged

Tammy from The Pink Magnolia passed this award on to me and I appreciate it so much. Thanks Tammy! Here is what this award is about:

"So here's to all the blogs that you've discovered that you can't possibly live without. They make you laugh, cry, think and feel connected everytime you read a post. They give you a thrill as you see them loading into your browser and you get an equally satisfying thrill when you see they have commented on your blog. "

I am doing the same as Tammy did and awarding this to all the blogs on my favorite list and anyone else who stops by and visits me. Because I really need to update my favorite list again.

Also my good blogging buddy shannon from Paint Mine Pink has tagged me to tell 10 weird things about me. Only ten shannon ? I'm sure there are lots more but this still was a little hard to think of, probably because in my eyes my weirdness is normal. LOL Okay so here goes:

1) I can crack my right big toe over and over again. It's weird because I can do it anytime, anywhere it just makes that cracking sound.

2) I brush my teeth about a hundred times a day. Okay maybe it's really 5 or 6 times a day but I must have my teeth feeling clean. That's weird isn't it? Or maybe it's just being OCD. Drives my sweetie crazy with the amount of toothpaste we go through.

3)I used to eat lots and lots of ice. It had to be crushed and it couldn't be from my refrig, it had to be the bag kind and then I would crush it some more in my blender and put some crystal lite lemonade powder on it and eat it, there would be no water in it. Who knew that eating weird stuff is a sign of anemia? After my anemia was fixed, I stopped eating the ice, and just like that my craving for it was gone. That was a really weird phase of my life. I should go back to eating it because it helped me lose some weight, but it's bad for your teeth.

4)When I sneeze it's usually in a series of threes. I don't just sneeze once, it almost always is three times in a row. That's really weird.

5) I must have certain foods in my house at all times and not just one of them, I have to have a back up. Like I must have two containers of my coffemate sugar free vanilla creamer in the refrig and more then one package of crystal lite lemonade and always pita bread. Can a person live on coffee creamer, crystal lite and pita bread? LOL

6)I wear my favorite sandals all year long(around the house). There could be snow outside and it can be 10 degrees but I'm still wearing my sandals and getting my toes polished. It makes me happy to see my toes nice and pretty.

7)I change the words to songs and make them silly. Like for instance there's a song by the Cranberries that I think is called Linger and she sings"I'm such a fool for you, do you have to let it linger" or something like that. Well, I sing do you have too many fingers instead of the linger part. Yea, that's definitely weird but hey it's fun to change the words.

8)Some people think this is weird. I go to movies by myself and enjoy it. Not always but sometimes it is so nice to sit in a dark theater and enjoy a movie with no distractions and just escape for an hour or two all by myself.

9)I talk to my cat and she seems to understand me and she listens really well. Now I know that's not weird or at least not to me.

10)I call the mailman the Squirrel. I have no idea why I do this, been doing it for years. Now that I think about it I call stores by odd names also. But my family knows exactly what I mean if I yell out the squirrel just came and then someone will go and get the mail. (I don't call the mailman a squirrel to his face, he's really nice).

Hey, I just realized I'm pretty weird and some of you may never come back to my site again. LOL So I am off today spreading all of my weirdness across Cincinnati.

Okay, so if any of you guys want to play along please do and let me know so we can compare weirdness. Also if you have never paid shannon a visit please go over or should I say go visit her down under because she's an Aussie. She has a beautiful blog and she make all kinds of pretty things that are in my favorite color pink. Have a great Wednesday!

Travel Tuesday ~ Oahu Hawaii ~ The Gathering Place

This is me on Waikiki in 2001. Can you see Diamond Head in the background?
This is a photo of my sweetie at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel. That place was amazing, it was made up of a series of buildings and lush tropical gardens, lava rock pools and exotic wildlife. If you look real close in the photo you can see the exotic birds in the photo (and no my sweetie is not one of the exotic birds LOL).
I just thought these little Hawaiian children were so cute. They performed for us and they did such a great job.
This was the view from the J.W. Mariott Ihlani Hotel at dusk. We went there for a luau and it was so beautiful. My sweetie and I went to Hawaii in the spring of 2001 for a travel agent conference and the company holding the conference treated us all like kings and queens. My only regret was we didn't get to see the "big island" of Hawaii and Kauai. Oh well, I guess that's an excuse to go back someday.

I couldn't do Oahu and not include Pearl Harbor. I took this photo off the internet because my camera died when we got to the monument. Yea, I was bummed but this is a must do when you go to Oahu. Most people are very quiet and respectful when they see this monument and to know that this is the final resting place for these men who gave their lives is very moving. DO NOT miss this if you ever go to Oahu.

How much fun is it to come back from the holidays and go on a trip to Hawaii? Okay so maybe we aren't really going to Hawaii today but we can dream. I loved Hawaii, just loved it. How many times have you heard me say this? LOL But honestly I have never seen anything like I have seen there, the mountains, the rainforests, the beaches. The scenery was beyond beautiful. So we are going to start this year off with Oahu which is Hawaii's chief island and is also the most populated island. "Oahu" means "the gathering place". Oahu has expanded it's beaches and they once again have sunset torch-lighting ceremonies and free hula performances at the ocean's edge. Here are a few favorite things to do in Oahu. Take a hike to Diamond Head and take in the panoramic views of Waikiki. Waikiki makes Oahu the most visited island. Oahu has more restaurants, shops and nightlife than all the other Hawaiian Islands combined, plus about 75% of Hawaii residents live here. Here are some of the best things to do on Oahu, go get a sunset cocktail at Duke's Canoe Club and then sit on the beach at the Outrigger Waikiki hotel and watch the view. Go visit Iolani Palace, which King David Kalakaua completed in 1882. Actually Hawaii has some very interesting history. Also DO NOT MISS the USS Arizona Memorial, which commemorates the men and women who died on the attack of Pearl Harbor. Don't forget about the Polynesian Cultural Center, which is on the North Shore. I never made it there but have heard it is wonderful. The Polynesian Cultural Center is a 42 acre lagoon park that is all about Polynesian culture. Also in the winter on the North shore, surfers ride the legendary blue crush (did anyone see that movie?) at Sunset Beach and the Banzi Pipeline. Once again there is not enough room in Travel Tuesday to give to this island but I hope this gives you some idea of what Oahu is all about. I really liked Oahu and Waikiki, I've heard some people compare it to Miami but I truly enjoyed my time there. Oh yea, almost forgot----for the Lost fan(who can that be?) you can go and see where they film on the island. That's worth the long plane ride there. On that note about the long plane ride, I just have to share this, being in the travel business, you get an idea that alot of people have no idea about geography and I admit sometimes I'm not up on mine either but I once had a lady who called and wanted to know about driving to Hawaii and when I told her it was a series of islands she wanted to know if they had a ferry so she could take her car--no lie, that's a true story and one I'll probably never forget. Next week we go to Maui, I loved loved it there.........LOL

Bouncing Around

I've decided that I am a bouncer like Winnie the Pooh's friend Tigger. I bounce around from subject to subject without a beat in the conversation. Now, I don't consider bouncing a character flaw, rather it does make the person who is listening to me or reading what I'm writing pay more attention. LOL But seriously, I've noticed I am doing this alot more lately and I think it has something to do with the change of life (which I like to blame everything on). But I also think this bounciness ( is bounciness a real word?) is hardwired in me. I just can't help bouncing! So I am sorry if I've bounced a little too much lately and I will try to work on it so I don't totally confuse anyone. :-) And now I am going to "bounce" to the subject of babies!

Look at these. Are they not the cutest baby shower invitations? They actually stand up. My daughters and I are giving a shower for Jimmy(my son) and Allison's baby boy who is due at the end of March. We found these precious invitations at Hallmark and had to use them.
Look how all of the information is on the side of the "crib".
And they lay flat to be put in the envelope. I just hope the friends and relatives who are being invited realize that the invites stand up to look like a baby's crib. The countdown to the the two new grandbabies begins. My daughter Melissa is due in May and they find out what they are having this week. I'll have to see if they want me to share if it's a boy or girl yet. Anyway, have a great Monday and I'll just be here in good ole' Cincy bouncing around a bit. :-)

Fax from God

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: LIFE

This is God. Today I will be handling All of your problems for you. I do Not need your help. So, have a nice day.
I love you.


P.S. And, remember...
If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do Not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY TIME. All situations will be resolved, but in My time, not yours.


Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it by worrying about it. Instead, focus on all the wonderful things that are present in your life now.

If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don't despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of privilege.

Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose?


Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!

Should you decide to share this with a friend; Thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know!
Now, you have a nice day.



God


This is from an e-mail that a friend sent me.

Shhh....Quiet weekend ahead!

Shhhh....can you hear it? Listen carefully. Hear that, it's the sound of nothing. No where to run to, no parties to go to, nothing. Just doing whatever we want to do this weekend. We are watching our sweet little granddaughter tonight and we may take her out shopping. I have a giftcard that's been burning a hole in my wallet for weeks now and I have decision to make, should I buy something from here or something more practical like from here? Big decisions to be made this weekend. LOL I have my new People magazine and the new Karen Kingsbury book to read and I want to catch up on my blog reading, just a quiet and relaxing weekend. Also, don't forget I am starting the new year off next Travel Tuesday by going to Hawaii. What could be better then going to Hawaii in January? Now I may need your help if you want to that is. I have only been to Oahu and Maui and I plan on doing Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii also in the next month. I am doing an island a week so if any of you guys have any photos you would want to share of your time on Kauai or the Big Island and don't mind me posting them, just send them to me. I'm sure I'll have no problems getting some photos of those two islands off the internet. Each island has it's own distinctive personality. Anyway, I am wishing you all a peaceful and relaxing weekend!

It's so cold................

Sandi and Kat got me hooked on Maxine. She's too funny! Today it's around 12 degrees outside so I thought this was a good one to post. It's suppose to be warmer next week, almost 60 degrees--yea! Okay, I promise no more weather whining for the whole winter. LOL

Snowy Start to 2008

So this is what I woke up to this morning. See this little chair, I am suppose to be sitting in the sun soaking up sunshine in it, might not be a good idea to do that today. :-)
Here's a shot of my neighbor's yard. It's also windy and cold and think of the three most dreaded words in the history of man, "wind chill factor" (horrible, ugly words). The high today will be something like 24 degrees and the low will be 9 degrees.
And this is where God really intended me to be today. LOL I know, some of you really love this snowy weather and I don't remember when my dislike of it started. I think it was somewhere in the early 1990's when I was driving an Aerostar minivan in the winter and taking the kids all over the place. That car was the worst car ever made to drive in the snow. I live in a part of Cincy that is really hilly and that little minivan would be all over the road, even just stopping at a red light would make the thing slide. I remember one day parking the minivan at the top of our hilly driveway in the snow and looking out the window later in the day and it was in the neighbor's (second photo) yard. The emergency brake was on, it had just rolled down the hill and stopped in their yard. I was so thankful no little ones were out or other cars were coming down the street at the time. My little car that I have now has a feature on it that says snow driving, I haven't tried it yet because I've just had this car since last Spring but since I don't need to go anywhere today I'll just wait to test it. Sometimes it's nice to work from home. Hope you all had a wonderful New Year's. We stayed in and grilled out and were asleep early. Here's something I found in my little devotional book to start the New Year off.


~Therefore I live for today~

~Certain of finding a sunrise~

~Guidance and strength for the way~

~Power for each moment of weakness~

~Hope for each moment of pain~

~Comfort for every sorrow~

~Sunshine and joy after the rain~

~Anonymous~