Musings From Quiet Water

Family Vacation 2011

2011-08-16T21:23:00.002-04:00

What a great week we had at QW. For the first few days all 10 of us were in residence. The very first time we have ALL been together in the Keys. Fortunately we all still fit but I might have to eventually invest in bunk beds as the grands get bigger.

Paige, Phil, Zane and Baird left on Monday but not before Phil made a wonderful picture of our family. Can't wait to get a copy of it to frame. I really wish they could have stayed the rest of the week but am thankful they got to be there for a few days.

We picked the right week to spend time in the Keys as the weather was really stinky back in Fort Myers and in Tampa. There was only one day that we had bad weather so we decided to travel down to KW which was a good move as they had all the sunshine down there. Kyle and Todd got to show mama and daddy THE TOY FACTORY! And we took in the sunset celebration at Mallory Square after dinner at Pepe's.

Lots of boating, fishing and time at the sandbar. And everyone loves the pool at Sunset Grill. Thanks to friend Alan and Kevin there were lobsters and grouper for dinner on Thursday night and some lobster for the Longs to bring home. So many wonderful memories.

No one wanted to leave to come back home when Saturday arrived. We talked about playing hookey so we could stay a few more days but reality finally won out because Kyle and Todd had to be in school on Monday. Kyle and Todd rode with me to take Sook back to the marina (I let them captain the boat in the canals and they are really doing well) Early Saturday morning, with the house all cleaned up/closed up Kevin & Ashley left on the Stringer N Up and the boys and Carolena and I started out in the car for our ride home.

Everyone arrived safely and we are already looking forward to our next trip.

AWESOME DAY -SATURDAY

2011-07-24T21:42:00.003-04:00

Saturday morning dawned with beautiful skies and moderate temperature. (The storm on Friday night helped cool the air down.) When we arrived at Centennial Park we were overwhelmed by the number of people milling about. By the start of the race there were 317 registered participants......WOW is all I can say. Of course the faster runners were at the front of the pack while the walkers brought up the rear. That would be me.

Ashley & Carolena were wearing the #1 bib. Everyone really enjoyed seeing C running with her mom and let me tell you they kicked butt. 40 minute finish for Ashley's first 5K. That is amazing. They are sorta kinda TV stars after the shots they did last week on the local news channels. What a boost that was to the event and I think probably brought out a lot of people who would not have known about it otherwise. They really did a great job.

Kevin and the boys started off running with Ashley and C. Poor Kyle was diagnosed with strep throat on Friday and was on antibiotics. He didn't feel like running/walking the entire race and road in a wagon for a bit. But he did run across the finish line. Todd decided to ride in the wagon for a while as well but he had run most of the race. Kevin left him with a friend so that he could catch up with Ashley & C for the finish. Not sure if he made it with across the finish line as I was......still walking.

Paige pushed Baird in a stoller and I think walked instead of running but they were still ahead of me and finshed in good time. She was walking with a good friend and her daughter. Me....still walking when they finished. Phil was actually shooting pictures and didn't actually start running when the horn sounded. I didn't know he was shooting pictures and was baffled when I saw him pass me as I started off walking. Now all of you, who know Phil, know that he is an avid runner and has done several marathons/ironman events. I am not even halfway through the course when who do I see coming back to the finish line? You guessed it...Phil and Zane. Phil ended up 3rd in his age group and Zane won first place for "walkers" :)

I can tell you I did not finish last. Came in about 3 minutes under an hour which is pretty good for me. There was a bridge on the course and believe me when I tell you it seemed like a mountain. When I got almost to the top going out I was thinking to myself....well, I was thinking what was I thinking??...that I was not going to make it. But then, I thought, I want to do this for my precious little girl with hope in my heart that one day she will be able to at least walk,if not run, a 5K herself.

My heart is so full tonight with the knowledge that so many people are lifting prayers for Carolena and all of our family. I know the money raised by this event will help defray medical expenses and that is so important but the love and caring of so many has certainly given a boost to our family. Special thanks to DeAnne and Terri........you are really special ladies.

Race for Baby C

2011-07-19T21:37:00.002-04:00

Saturday is the day!!! I have been trying to walk at least 30 to 45 minutes at least 4 times a week to get ready. Bought some new walking shoes and let me tell you Dr Scholls shoes are GREAT. There has been no breaking in period with these shoes and no blisters or pains. First time ever I can say that about a pair of walking/tennis shoes. The article in the Fort Myers paper today (about C and her family) was beautifully written and showcased her condition and the Race in a wonderful way. C's two older brothers are walking with me so that Kevin can jog along with Ashley and C. It is going to be a special day for one special little girl and I hope all who attend have a great time. Here is the website to view the article:

To view the contents on News-Press, go to:
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201107190110/HEALTH/110718048

The Week After Vacation

2011-07-17T17:41:00.003-04:00

Usually the reason the week after vacation is hard in that I don't want to get back to work....not just yet please. But last week was a challenge that beats all the other weeks after vacation. Monday I developed laryngitis and could not speak for 3 days. By Thursday the laryngitis was better but I had a terrible cough that was just kicking my butt. Finally went to the doctor on Friday and got some antibiotic and a cough syrup (good stuff....puts me to sleep) Still not feeling 100% and the cough is still there but much better today. Thank goodness!

Not feeling well made me miss the Little Crackers Fishing Tournament at Useppa this weekend. I really wanted to go see my grandsons catch some fish. I know it must have been fun. Useppa is a great place to visit and for the most part looks like "old" Florida. The houses were built some years ago, there are no cars and the vegetation is just beautiful. I surely missed being able to make the trip this weekend.

Next weekend is the RACE for C 5K in Fort Myers. Have to be feeling better to be able to walk that 3.1 miles for my baby girl. Hopefully I can get out this week and walk....

Vacation Is Over But The Memories Remain

2011-07-12T19:34:00.002-04:00

This week I have really missed my boys. Last week just flew by and it was time to leave QW in no time. We went back to Fort Myers on Friday so that we could attend my favorite 1 year old boy's birthday party on Saturday. What a great party and it was really nice to catch up with some old friends who attended. We shared many memories of other trips to the Keys and laughed and laughed. I surely do miss Eddie when I relive some of those memories. Seems like yesterday we were all there together having fun.

Getting back to work has been hard this week since I came back with a really bad allergy attack which has caused me to have laryngitis for the past two days. Thank goodness I communicate with my clients mostly by email.

The weather this week has been rainy which is good news for all of us. We need much more rain but what a great start to the rainy season. I love having it rain a little every day and hope the big storms stay well away from us. The last two days at QW there was almost 2 inches of rainfall every day but they say that was not nearly what is needed. At least the wildfires have been put out!

The one regret I had while at QW was the fact that I never was able to get my daddy down there for a visit. He wanted to go so badly but it just never worked out. I am sure he can look down on the Keys from his heavenly home and enjoy the beauty. I miss you daddy and I miss you Eddie. Loved you both with all my heart.

Our Wednesday

2011-07-06T21:43:00.002-04:00

Well as I said in my previous post it was rainy when we woke this morning. We had breakfast and hung around QW until we decided to just chance a trip to KW. And did we ever make the right decision.

A first ever for me. As we were passing through Big Pine Key a key deer ran in front of my car, not once but twice. Thank goodness I saw it soon enough to stop. The closer we got to KW the more sunshine we saw and by the time we parked the car and started our KW day the sun was out in full and no rain anywhere. First stop was the Conch Train Station and we happened to get there just as the train was departing so no wait. And, persons under 12 ride free:) The boys loved the train and I think they learned a lot today about old KW. K had a map open the whole ride and was showing me where we were as we crossed each street. Z fell asleep after about 45 minutes and T nodded off a few minutes later but both woke up when we stopped for a 10 minute break. Made a potty visit, grabbed some lemonades/water and back on the train for another 30 minutes.

After the train ride we visited the Key West Toy Factory. A kid's dream come true. Really a great place to take kids when they are hot and tired as it is cool inside and reminds me of FAO Swartz with all the toys/games/books they have. Peps them right back up again. And if you make a purchase (and you know I did) each child receives a token for an ice cream cone at the downstairs ice cream shop.

No visit to KW is complete without visiting the Kino Sandal Factory and IT WAS PACKED this afternoon. We didn't stay there long as it was also really hot. And they didn't have any kids shoes....at least not for boys.

Then we headed over to Mallory Square to check out the Sunset shows. The first show out was a young guy named Reed who is a true Conch and very entertaining. He juggles fire batons and K got to help him with the finale trick. He was supposed to throw unlit batons up to Reed as Reed was standing on the folded arms of two big guys out of the crowd. Well, the first baton flew over Reed's head and landed in the water off the dock. That created a new show in and of itself as Reed then had to retrieve the baton. He did this by having the two big guys hold his feet and lower him to the water. K did throw the next 3 batons so that Reed could catch them. It was so much fun and all the boys had a blast.

Quick dinner at IHOP in KW and then back to Marathon. Saw two more key deer on Big Pine but at least these did not run out in front of my car. And back to the rain. I had hoped to take the boys to see the space shuttle launch this week but I don't think the weather is going to be good enough for a liftoff. And it would be a long trip to KSC only to have the launch scrubbed.

We have had a great day and so much fun. Got to QW around 9:15. By 9:25 all the boys had their teeth brushed, potty visits and were sound asleep. I think they might be kinda tired :)

Ahhhh....Finally Vacation Time

2011-07-06T08:44:00.003-04:00

Much needed R&R and where better to spend my vacation than Quiet Water? And I have my 3 oldest grandsons with me to help me have fun. On our arrival Friday night we had our first "adventure" with the snake that greeted us on the stair landing. Not sure who was more scared,, the boys or the snake. Kyle decided it was a corn snake...at least we decided it was not a coral snake or anything else dangerous.

Saturday was spent getting unpacked, shopping for groceries (the 3 boys thought that was torture even though they got to help choose the food) and getting settled. The day was overcast and rainy here and there. Hot dogs, corn on the cob and ice cream for dinner. Watched a litte TV and off to bed.

Sunday was a little more sunny. We had a lazy morning before dressing for church. After church we had lunch at Lazydays and changed clothes (in the car) for a LONG walk on the old 7 Mile Bridge. At least I walked. The boys rode scooters and the Skut. The water was so clear we could see top to bottom. The boys kept looking for sharks and were fascinated to be able to look down into boats anchored by the bridge or watch them go under the bridge. Came back to QW for dinner: mac & cheese, steamed broccoli, apple/banana salad with raspberry yogurt dressing.

Monday was overcast again. We stayed around here all day with the boys chasing iguanas and crabs. Riding scooters under the house and racing. Lots of fussing going on with who was winning. I had to step in and referee at times. We were going to have Tacos for dinner but the ground sirloin did not look or smell good so it was thrown away and we had pancakes, fruit and bacon instead. Breakfast for dinner...yum. Z & T helped me make dinner :) After that we tried to light our sparklers but the breeze was too strong and the matches would not stay lit long enough to light them. Fireworks started around 9:00 and we sat on the porch and watched 3 separate displays. Sombrero was not as spectacular as usual but still pretty impressive.

Tuesday dawned beautiful and sunshiny. We decided to take full advantage as the weather channel was advising that there are two fronts bringing lots of rain. I am not complaining because we really need the rain here and all over the state of Florida. We left about 9:30 and went to Bahia Honda to play on the beach. The boys built sand "structures" ...I would not call them castles and enjoyed playing in the water. I am really bummed that Coco Plum Beach has been deemed unsafe because of bacteria as we like to just walk to the beach to play. After the beach we went to Sunset Grille for lunch and some swim time in the pool. Z scared everybody by the pool except me when he jumped off the side and started swimming to the steps. He is a good little swimmer and has joined the other two as genuine little "fishes". K & T got to try out their new masks/snorkels. We came back to QW to rest for a little while and then went to Miss Annette's for dinner. Apparently they had worked up a big appetite as they ate every scrap of food on their plates and had dessert!

It is Wednesday and the rains have arrived. We may do as planned and go down to Key West for a little while but not sure yet. We are doing the Keys thing and playing each day by ear. If we don't go to KW today we might find something to do around here and go to the movies tonight. No Schedules!!! Right now my 3 boys are doing art and crafts and making some pretty cool things. Big black clouds out there :(

Oh, and yes, we have made a valiant effort to rig some fishing poles to catch fish off the dock. The second set of fishing poles were as bad as the first. All have been or will be taken back to Big K for refunds. The outside aquarium at Capt Hook's is great. Two sharks, a barracuda and lots of other fish.

Reflections

2010-12-04T14:29:00.002-05:00

I always try to spend this particular weekend at QW as it is easier somehow to be here than anywhere else as the anniversary of Ed's death approaches. Memories of him are still so vivid and I can remember and smile (or laugh) over some of the good times we had in our 33 years together.

So many things have changed since he died including our "hometown". As I was making a trip to the post office this morning I was noting some of the changes that have taken place in the past 13 years. Some favorite places are no longer there: Gary's Pub (the last place we watched the SEC championship game) closed a few years ago and has now been razed; the Quay (destroyed by Wilma) and horror of all horrors, Don Pedro's is now Bubba's BBQ! Leigh Ann's Coffee House has moved to a new locale (thank goodness still in business) and we have a new Cuban restaurant El Siboney (and it is good). Publix came to town a few years ago (again thank goodness) and of course Home Depot.

QW has undergone some changes as well and I believe they are all good and Ed would have approved and hopefully he applauded from where he is. I found myself thinking each time I made a change, even painting, would Ed like this? And I find myself thinking, yes he would.

This might be my last visit for a while as friends from Tennessee will be coming in the first week of January and there will be someone here until April. I miss not being able to visit during that time. Perhaps will try to get here at the end of the month but not sure.

The weather here this weekend is absolutely gorgeous and the doors are all open to the fresh air. It's nice to let the fresh air in after the months of having the house all closed up. Have not seen even one iguana so far. Is it too cold for them right now? I can hope they all succumb to the cold can't I?

Our family had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration this year and it was special to have all of us together in one place. I thank God every day that both my girls and their families were able to be there. It is bittersweet for those of us who live so far away. It is hard to see how much my parents have declined after not seeing them for a while. Each holiday has become more special as the years have gone by. I hate to think of not having my mama & daddy in my life. What great memories we made this year.

My heartfelt wish is that all my family and friends have a wonderful holiday season and that the New Year is good to all.

A Great Week

2010-08-16T19:38:00.002-04:00

I spent the last 8 days at Quiet Water with Ashley, Kevin and the kiddos. What a great week. Started off with 3 days of rain so there was lots of UNO, movies, and a day in Key West. By Wednesday there was blue sky, a few white clouds and sunshine with each day being better than the last. I kept Miss C some while the rest of the crew went fishing and snorkeling. She and I joined everyone for the sandbar excursions and swimming the "redneck" pool.

Kyle and Todd had a great time tubing. Todd told me "thank you Pappi for letting us use your FAST boat for tubing". He thought it was fast until we started back in from the sandbar and we had a head start on his daddy and his boat passed us by before we got to the first marker at our channel. He 'splained it through: Daddy has two engines and Pappi only has one!

It was so nice to see the Long family have some good times after the hard year they have just gone through. We are looking forward to celebrating Miss C's 1st birthday next weekend and then Kyle's 7th birthday Labor Day weekend. Wow, how can he be 7 and Todd 5 already? Just not possible.

Stopped in to get a quick hug and kiss from Zane and Baird (and their mama & daddy :) before I left FM last evening. Little B is growing so fast and still has that full head of hair. Paige and PG think he likes to eat so much that he overfills his tummy and he has a tendancy to spit up a little after he nurses. Seems to be keeping enough down to be packing on the pounds though.

All of my grands are just beautiful and sweet and they fill my life with such joy.

It was back to reality today. Had an appointment with an orthopedic doc this morning to find out what's going on with my knee. I am terribly afraid they are going to just say it is just age but hope that there is something that can be done. I hate feeling like a handicapped person. MRI on Wednesday...........wish me luck.

QW for Second Time this Month: Lucky Me

2010-04-17T09:44:00.002-04:00

Had wanted to have all my boys down here for the weekend with me but that didn't work out as I had hoped. But I have sweet Zane with me and we have had a lot of fun. It's kinda overcast today and the Weather Channel is saying it will rain and it's supposed to be worse tomorrow so we might pack it up and go on back to Fort Myers later this afternoon. Might be better for Z too as we will be traveling up to Clearwater tomorrow so that PG can pick him up to travel up to Tallahassee. Would break up his trip and the most time would be done. About 4-1/2 hours from here to FM and then another 2 to Clearwater. He gets to stay with his mama next week and I know they both will enjoy that.

QW is beautiful as ever and I so love being here........rain or shine. Had some business to do downtown yesterday then we went to Publix and picked up groceries before coming back home. The fish off the dock loved that Z was feeding them bread. We got to play around in the yard a bit, no iguanas in sight, and then we went to KMart to get some beach shoes for Z (hope we get to use them today). Zane loves riding by the airport to see the planes and helicopters. Had dinner at Annette's (Nemo is back and has a friend with him) and back home for a good night's sleep.

Okay, now it is raining outside so we have to go to Plan B for our day. Oh well.....it's still great to spend the day at my beautiful QW.

Another Anniversary

2010-03-26T22:09:00.002-04:00

It has been a good anniversary day with no sadness in my heart. I think that is because I have been babysitting Zane this week and a 2 year old gives you very little time to dwell on anything outside of playing, giving hugs and kisses, and just plain having fun. And I was able to attend one of Todd's T-ball games this week. (Boy, would his grandpa Ed be proud of the way he plays baseball) And of course, spent time with my Kyle (such a big guy now) and little C.

45 years ago today I said "I do" to someone who cannot be here today to celebrate this day with me. I miss Eddie every day but time has a way of making sadness and grief less intense. Don't get me wrong, there are moments when my heart aches and I would love to turn back the clock and have him with me again. But life is not like that. There are twists and turns. Along with happiness will come sadness. But then happiness again.

Even though Eddie could only stay with us for a short time I am so very glad to have had him in my life. If only he could have lived long enough to see all our beautiful grands. He would have been as a great granddad as he was a daddy to my girls.

Was looking at the moon tonight and as always I think of you Eddie. Good night and sleep tight love. You will always be in our hearts.

Memories of my Uncle Max

2010-02-03T19:36:00.002-05:00

I was saddened today with the news that one of my favorites has passed out of this life. Even though I am sad I am also happy to know that he will no longer have to suffer with the physical aches and pains. I understand he had told his family that he was just tired.

I have wonderful memories of Uncle Max. He is my daddy's older brother and was another father figure to me. While growing, up our family and his would gather every Saturday night at Nanny and Peepaw's (my paternal grandparents) for family supper.(Shoe string french fries......I am sure my older cousins remember that) Uncle Max was a barber and also affectionately known as the "candy man". He brought a bag of candy with him every Saturday night for all the kids.

My heart goes out to Aunt Beth. She has been a devoted wife to Uncle Max for so many years. It's hard to lose your soul mate and one you have loved so much for so long. My cousins have given such devoted care to their daddy for the past few years. My prayers are with all of you as you travel through this sad time.

We continue to lose our family members one by one. Growing old is a fact of life and we all have to face into it but it is SO HARD. Now there are only 3 siblings left in my daddy's family. I have also been thinking of him, Uncle Haurice and Aunt Frances tonight as I know they are feeling sorrow and loss.

Sending big hugs and much love to all my family tonight.

Welcome to Year 2010

2010-01-05T19:27:00.002-05:00

2009 seems like a big blur. Wasn't it only yesterday I was trying to remember to write 2009 on my checks and correspondence? There are many highlights from last year and I think I have touched on each one in previous posts.

The first weekend of 2010 was spent at home in Marathon. After arriving late on Friday night (didn't bother turning on water) I awoke Saturday morning to no water in the house. Checking on it I found a broken valve, a water meter full of mud and it was COLD outside. It is an understatment to say that the people in the Keys are a special lot. I called 3rd Generation Plumbing at 7:30 and by 8:00 there were two plumbers at the house to check out the problem. In the meantime the supervisor had called FKAA and about 15 minutes later two people arrived from there. Even though FKAA did not have the responsibility to do the repairs, Steve took the time to do so because he had the pipes and fitting that were needed. What a great guy. Problem solved.

On Saturday afternoon I got a call from the Tennessee folks who were to arrive on Tuesday. It was 14 degrees and snowing where they live so they got of Tennessee early and arrived at Quiet Water on Sunday afternoon. I think they brought more cold weather with them as it has been bitterly cold in Clearwater (and the Keys) since Sunday.

Makes me sad to know that I won't be back home again until April, but it also brings me relief there is someone staying in the house and I don't have to be concerned about maintenance for a while.

My wish for all is a happy, healthy, safe and prosperous 2010.

HOLIDAY IN FORT MYERS

2009-12-27T22:25:00.003-05:00

My trip to Ft. Myers last Wednesday had me bringing Ashley & Carolena home from the hospital. Nary a gift in the car so the scurry began that afternoon with a visit to Edison Mall. I don't like that mall much....I think I am spoiled by the ones in Clearwater/Tampa. Christmas Eve, Zane and I spent a few hours together shopping at Toys R Us and other stores and then I visited a favorite shopping spot, Bell Tower Shopppes, in the afternoon. Marathon wrapping session later all the gifts were wrapped and under the tree.

Christmas morning dawned early (well not really dawn yet) as Kyle came into my room about 3:30 in the morning whispering that Santa had been and gone and left a bunch of "stuff". I made him get back in bed and wait until 5:30. Right on the dot he tells me it's time to get up and "that went by fast". All the noise woke Todd and then they work mama & daddy. We exchanged gifts here and then I was off to Paige & Phil's house to open presents with them. So much fun watching the kids enjoy their Santa gifts. So glad I have 4 little ones to visit on Christmas. So much fun to see Christmas all new through their eyes. BTW, for all my Gator pals, Todd got a Gator football outfit from Santa. Can I just tell you how cute he looks?

We had a wonderful Christmas dinner prepared by Paige. In fact we had the leftovers here at the Long house last night. Paige, Ashley and I had a fun afternoon shopping at Coconut Pointe. It was nice not to have to worry about cooking........I was really tired. Thank you Paige :)

Ashley had her hernia repair surgery today and I think it was a little more than she had expected. She is really sore and has gone to bed for the night and I hope she can rest well. But all went well with the surgery and the doc feels it is a permanent "fix". Kevin took Miss C to St.Pete today for a follow up check and an echo. The fluid is almost GONE and they are backing off some of her meds. Thank the good Lord. So all is all a day of good reports.

Looking forward to the long weekend to celebrate a brand new year 2010. Here's hoping that this coming year will bring health and prosperity to all my family and friends.

Quiet Water in December

2009-12-04T22:43:00.004-05:00

I am in the Keys this weekend and as always it feels good to be home. The trip down tonight was uneventful and I am glad I am going to be here instead of Clearwater this weekend. The weather here is WARM. When I left Clearwater today the outside temp was 64 degrees and it was raining. When I arrived here @ 9:30 pm it was 79 degrees and there is a full moon and lots of stars in a clear sky. Love it!!!

This is a bittersweet weekend for me in that it was 12 years ago this weekend that Eddie and I came home here for the last time. He died that weekend. Even though I still miss him every day I can always be thankful that he was here when he died in the place on earth that he loved the most. I do regret that our girls were not here but having said that I am also thankful they do not have the scary memories from that night. It took me a long time to get past those memories. That's the bitter part of bittersweet.

The sweet is that I love being here. It is home for me. When I am here I can feel Eddie's spirit everywhere. At first after he died I was not sure how I would feel coming down here .... most especially when I was by myself. I have found I feel safe and at peace. I love sharing our home with family and friends.

I feel in my heart that Eddie is out there somewhere looking out for us.

AND, as always this is the SEC Championship game weekend. GO GATORS!!

This time of year...........

2009-11-07T17:17:00.005-05:00

For the past few years I have gotten so very blue at the first hint of cooler weather. It would just all of a sudden hit me in the gut. Maybe when I was walking out of the office building at the end of the day, or maybe when I got to the apartment, walking for exercise, or maybe at Quietwater. The hit was never predictable. Finally I have figured it out. The cool weather is a precursor to the month of December. There are so many joyous things about this time of year that I concentrate on them really hard but the blues sneak in no matter.

Someone once told my oldest daughter that her daddy would not want her to be sad that he is no longer here with us. She responded by saying......he most certainly would want me to miss him. I feel the same way. It has been almost 12 years since Ed died in December 1997 and there are days when I ache from the hurt of missing him. I have to think the more a person touches your life the more you miss them when they are gone.

Here are some things I appreciated about Eddie:
1. He was a kind man. Especially a soft touch when it came to kids
2. He was an honest man
3. He made me laugh at his antics as much as he embarassed me at times
4. He made life fun and an adventure
5. He encouraged me to reach for my goals
6. He was a good daddy to our girls
7. He was passsionate about football which I have always enjoyed
8. He tolerated my love of cats
9. He just held my hand when sadness or frightening things came into my life
10. He kept me grounded (at least most of the time)
11. He learned to love my Alabama family as much as they loved him
12. He arranged private lessons for me to learn to scuba dive
13. He taught me about boats
14. He made it possible for us to travel and see so many places
15. He had the dream that became Quiet Water
16. He loved me

I hope with all my heart that he knew these things. I think he did. We always had a good laugh when we teased that we met and got married so young that it was a good thing we liked each other when we grew up.

My promise to his memory is that I will make sure all our grands will hear stories about him and see pictures so that they will have some idea what a good person he was. He would have loved all our grands and spoiled them rotten given half a chance. I just so wish he could have lived to see Ashley and Paige find the wonderful men in their lives. He would have loved Kevin & Phil and they would have enjoyed knowing him.

The holiday season is here again and it will be the 13th Christmas without Ed. That blows me away sometimes. At times it seems only yesterday I had to say goodbye. But I have said all that to say this: I know I am blessed. I count those blessings every day. With life comes happiness, sadness and all the emotions in between. That's what makes it life. If I had never loved then I would never have felt so sad to lose that love but then I would never have had the joy. So, even if the holidays are bittersweet it is still my favorite time of the year.

It's Been A While

2009-09-29T20:51:00.003-04:00

It's been a very busy, hectic few months to say the least. I was traveling a lot until just before Carolena was born and have been trying to lend as much help to Ashley & Kevin as I can since August 19th when our little cutie pie made her debut. Amidst all the doings we celebrated two birthdays: Kyle and Paige are both Virgo babies. So far I think our family has managed to keep daily life as normal as possible all around. Paige, Phil and I are always sitting on ready when/if help is needed at the Long house. So far Carolena has been surprising "balanced" and was able to come home after only a week at ACH. I know Ashley and Kevin are under major stress and my heart hurts for them but when I look at that sweet baby girl I just melt. Counting blessings:
1. Carolena was born and didn't have to have immediate surgery
2. She came home after only 1 week in the hospital (no one expected it so soon...)
Aunt Paige shopped and stocked up the nursery for the homecomeing
Uncle PG came over and set up the co-sleeper so our little angel would have a
place to sleep
3. Ashley is doing well and healing (getting skinnier every day!)
4. Kyle & Todd just love their baby sister and I can already tell they are going to
be WAY over protective of her
5. Ashley got to be home for the boys' first day of their new school
6. Ashley got to be home for Kyle's birthday/ Paige's birthday
7. Neighbors and friends have been wonderful....sending over food so that no one
has to worry about preparing dinner
8. Carolena is doing the pooper thing so it looks like her intestinal problem is at
least stable. There will be surgery for that sooner than later :( But it's
necessary and she will be in good hands
9. Support and prayers from family/friends (and many others even though they don't
know us personally) has given us strength
10. Having God on our side to watch over my newest angel as well as her family. He
promised that he would not give us more than we can handle. He will be there
at our side always.

Note to my kids: I am so blessed to have each and every one of you in my life. It's the hard times that test us. With love and patience we will endure. I thank God every day for all of you.

Addendum to Fort D Trip

2009-07-06T21:50:00.003-04:00

How in the world could I not include the final day of our visit? All the McCann kids were down at GGs until late afternoon when they left to go to swim practice and whatever else they had to do. Kyle loved hanging out with Micah and Aaron; Todd decided Gracie was his and Jasmine was icing on the cake and Zane just fell in love with Callie.

We all went out to Aunt Janet's/Uncle Steve's for a visit. The boys all love going out there where they can run around while we sit outside and watch them. Most of the puppies had to stay in the house while we were there....Todd is still really afraid of dogs and it is easier to separate them.

The boys ended up falling into (and then jumping into) the little kiddie pool that J keeps for the dogs to drink from. No swimsuits.........just shorts and T-shirts. The big boys had to travel back to Fort D naked with beach towels wrapped around them. Zane did not get as wet but was a dirty little kid nonetheless. Had to do some laundry when we got back to GG's house. Boys got a bath and stuff in the ears before they could eat dinner. They went to sleep almost before they got in bed.

I got stung by what we can only speculate was a hornet?? GG says that wasps don't leave stingers behind and Mr. Willie did find one in my face. So, I took benedryl and GG applied a soda paste to my face and I passed out on the couch....benedryl makes me really sleepy. I think the sting triggered an allergic reaction that caused me to have laryngitis BUT the face is OK....I just can't talk really well right now.

FUN WAS HAD BY ALL.............Uncle Steve you are a bad influence but they do all love you and of course they love the Kubota rides!!

Pappi and the Boyz

2009-07-06T21:27:00.002-04:00

What a great trip to Alabama. My 3 traveling companions could not have been better travelers. Many people thought I was crazy to take a 5 year old, 4 year old and 19 month old on a long trip.....all at one time but hey, they just don't know what precious angels my boys can be.

We arrived late on Saturday and got a good night's sleep. Sunday it was church day and we got to see lots of friends and family and I got to show of my little guys. There were 3 trips to Montgomery while we were there: We visited Aunt Linda in the hospital before she was moved back to CH; visited Aunt Ellen/Uncle Tommy W....she made homemade strawberry ice cream...yummy..and Todd grazed his way through all the fruit in the refrigerator; then I took G'daddy back up for a doctor visit.

On the way back from seeing Aunt Ellen we stopped @ Publix to pick up some groceries so we were late, late getting back to Fort D. I didn't want to let them go to sleep so I was telling them about the time I lived in Montgomery, where I worked, where I went to school, the Air Force base, etc. During a little break in my tour guide program Kyle leans up and says "Pappi, are you talking to yourself???" After I stopped laughing I continued my tour guide speech. Further down the road Todd tells me his stomach is asking for junk food (apparently he was hungry). They crack me up!! We marked the heights of all the boys on THE DOOR and all of them have grown many inches since the last time they were measured. Not sure who is going to inherit that door but it will always be treasured.

Zane warmed up to GG by day two and let her rock him to sleep a couple of nights. He gave GG'daddy kisses good night and would tell him "nite nite". Everyone loved his antics and they found out what a sweet little boy he is. He had a couple of displays of temper but we all just laughed at him and he would end up laughing with us.

I really miss them tonight and find myself listening for them. I hope my big kids really do understand how much it means to me that I get to take their little ones on these trips. We have such a good time and I love the one on one time with them. Can't wait until the next trip!!

Is it really mid-June already??

2009-06-18T20:10:00.003-04:00

The first six months of 2009 has just flown by. It has been crazy busy at work and I have been traveling a bit with trips to Fort Lauderdale, Chicago and Dallas to visit clients. Was able to work in one trip home to the Keys for 4 days which was just plain relaxing and I look forward to my next trip south. And lots of trips to Fort Myers to visit the kids.

Todd is now 4 years old and such a big boy with a new bike that he can ride with no training wheels! Kyle is out of school for the summer and is going to get to do some fun things but other days will be completely bored spending time with the parents at work. Zane is 18 months old and is saying so many words. He has also learned some sign language to help us understand what he is trying to convey. I am taking the 3 of them with me to Alabama in a week or so. We are going to visit the GGs for a few days. Thank you mamas and daddys for letting me have the kiddos for the trip. These trips are so special to me....and so much fun.

Bad storms have moved through the Bay area the last couple of days. Fortunately, we have not had the bad lightning or hail where I live but we could use some of the rain. It is so dry here and there is a big brushfire up north of us which has the air all smokey. Apparently it was caused by a lightning strike.

Tomorrow is going to be jeans day at work for me. I have had to wear business dress 3days this week for client meetings so I need to be comfortable tomorrow to get organized and get some of the backlog cleared out. Probably has to work Saturday as well to try to get everything done before my big trip.

Relaxed and Rested

2009-05-25T16:09:00.002-04:00

There is nothing like a weekend @ QW to rejuvenate my spirits and to calm my soul. Boy did I need both of those things right now. It has been a wonderful stay and I hate to leave tomorrow but am already looking forward to the next time I can travel home. There will be visitors on a pretty steady basis starting in a couple of weeks so I wanted to make sure all is in order down here. The porch furniture needed some attention and the couch covers all got washed and repaired yesterday. Probably will have to recover the cushions before too long but will wait until after storm season passes. Sounds like there has been miserable weather up in Pinellas county this weekend so I am doubly glad to be on the island. Coco Plum has not been completely repaved after the sewers were put in so it is kinda bumpy coming down to Avenue K or L where the repaving has been done. The tide was way low yesterday when I walked on the beach and really high this morning.....but not in the yard thank goodness. Just the normal high tides. Water offshore yesterday, both the ocean and Florida Bay was smooth as glass so I wished that Sook had been running. Gotta get the little girl worked on so she can take us out to the reef and sandbar. Still beautiful weather down here, lots o fluffy clouds, but there were storms all around last night. The lightning was spectacular, and all the better, since it was a distance away. I love to watch it as long as it is not sitting right on top of where I am. By for now.

End of May

2009-05-20T21:41:00.002-04:00

Can you believe it? We are only a few days from Hurricane season 2009. Where has the time gone in this year? It is true that time flies when you are having fun AND when you are just plain busy. Work is so busy this time of year and seems to get more so every year.

We are going to have another member in our family in a little over 2 months and we are excited but anxious because our little one has a very serious heart issue. Fortunately, because of tests done early on, my kids know (at least to the extent they can know) the challenges they are looking at with their baby daughter. As someone reminded me today, girls are strong, we endure much and we are fighters.

The cats that reside with me are now officially porch kitties. After the mess I came home to on Mother's Day I realized I have had enough. Nothing I do has done anything to make them stop using the carpet as their personal potty. It is soooooo nice to have a cleaner place when I come in from wherever........and I no longer have to cover the furniture to keep them from ruining it. No more closing doors to isolate cats to a certain room. I HAVE MY HOUSE BACK!!! and it feels so good. I think they are now content to be outside. Oreo fell off the porch once (I am on the 2nd story) so I put chicken wire across the rails to keep her from leaning too far over and falling off again. Shug has settled in OK.....Oreo howled in protest for a couple of days, well, maybe a week, but has stopped that now. They now have easy access to the lizards that frequent the porch and can look out at the squirrels and the dogs who walk in the wooded area behind the apartment building.

Looking forward to spending a few days @ Quietwater this weekend. Relaxation at it's finest.

Brrrrrrrr..........it's cold!!!

2009-03-01T20:16:00.002-05:00

It has been a wonderful weekend here in Clearwater. Ashley, Kevin and the two oldest grands came up Friday night to spend the weekend with me. Saturday dawned as a beautiful day and we went out to the beach to have lunch @ Frenchy's. It was great as usual. The boys enjoyed walking on the beach after lunch. Ashley enjoyed introducing them to really pretty white sand. After lunch we drove around to some of the places Ashley would know and then visited with Tina, Eric, their kiddos and her mom, Carrie. The boys enjoyed playing in the backyard with Kai and then we all went to Casa Tina to celebrate Tina's birthday. (Tina is the young friend who created my name........Pappi.) Back home and the boys crashed about 8:00. I don't think they moved again until they woke up early Sunday morning.

Sunday the weather had turned gray, cloudy, rainy and COLD. I made beignets for breakfast and they were yummy. It's been a while since I have made these favorites from New Orleans. Left about 11:30 to visit more friends. We started @ Connie's house. She,Portia, Cole and Gary joined us for lunch. It was so much fun catching up and letting the little boys get acquainted. Afterwards we drove to Ozona and made a stop at the Vincentis home. Just love their house.........it is much like an art gallery!

The Longs left about 5:30 to return to Fort Myers and have arrived safely. It has been a great weekend for me and I hope they enjoyed their visit as much as I enjoyed having them here. Unfortunately for me I don't have my little "heaters" to keep me warm tonight. I treasure these years when the little ones love to cuddle. They grow out of that all too soon.

SURPRISE.........SURPRISE

2009-02-17T20:20:00.002-05:00

I spent my 3 day weekend (never, ever have had President's Day as a holiday before....a holiday in February...wow!) in Fort Myers. On Saturday night I babysat all 3 of my little grands while their mamas and papas spent some alone time for Valentine's Day. Since I decided we were all going to sleep in the same room I had to strategize the "going to bed" process. First I put little Z down in the pack-n-play and he dropped off to sleep. In the meantime Kyle and Todd were watching a movie in "mama's" bed. Todd fell asleep so I picked him up and put him in my bedroom. Kyle continued to watch the movie until he finally said "Pappi I need to go to bed now........." so I took him off to the sleeping room. Amazingly enough we all slept very well. No one stirred until Todd fell off the bed about 3:00 am. I got up and took Todd to the bathroom and checked him for goose eggs on the head or broken arms/legs. All was well and we went back to the room, climbed back in beside Kyle and fell back to sleep. I can tell you it was so much fun to have all 3 of the boys together. They played and had so much fun.

On Sunday I got the great news (from Ashley & Kevin) that we are going to have another baby in the family come August. What a wonderful surprise. Boy am I glad I opted for the CX-9 instead of the CX-7. With 4 baby seats the car is full now!

Monday was a holiday for Kyle so it worked out well that I was in Fort Myers. He, Todd and I had a fun day. We made a run to Costco first thing to pick up some "stuff" and then met Ashley & Kevin at the "Sun / Fork" aka First Watch for lunch. (Has anyone besides my grandson actually noticed the logo is a sun over a fork?....not me) After lunch we went to the park for a while and then home so Todd could take a nap. Kyle rested, played video games and he and I made hot chocolate while Todd slept. Once Todd was awake we spent some time outside in the race cars until Ashley got home. She stayed outside with us for a while and then made a fantastic pork chop dish for dinner.

I hated to leave but will be going back down on Thursday night. Kyle's school has Grandparent's Day on Friday. I get to go back to school...!!!

Artshow Weekend in Fort Myers

2009-02-09T19:35:00.002-05:00

It was my weekend to stay with Paige, PG and Zane. Paige made a great dish on Friday night that hit the spot as I was HUNGRY when I arrived. Saturday Zane had a birthday party to attend (his friend Hayden is now 1 year old too...) so I went to the artshow with Ashley, Kyle and Todd. Lots of people which is great for the artists. The weather was just perfect for being outside.

Now, if you have ever been to an artshow with 5 & 3 year old boys you will understand me when I say they were bored once they figured out that Pappi & Mama wanted to actually walk along and stop and gawk at everything. Given the number of people sometimes it took a little bit to manuever your way into the booth. Sooo...they decided this should be a little like the State Fair in that eating would help with the boredom. They wanted to eat something at every food booth, then they were thirsty and then hungry again. Finally Ashley got them some ice cream cones, chocolate.....our favorite. Kyle does well with a cone but Todd not so much. He eats the ice cream out of the cone with his fingers which makes a huge mess on the boy. They did get to visit the kid's arts & craft tents and they had fun making some artwork for us. We didn't make them stay much longer after that....had mercy and took them home.

Zane and I spent Saturday night together while Mama and Papa went to Cape Coral for Bike Night. We had a great time and I think M & P did as well. They even stopped on the way back for a late sushi dinner.

(Secret: my big kids don't know just how much I LOVE taking care of the little ones while they take a break with a date night....shhhh)

Sunday I was back at the artshow with Paige, PG and Zane. Still crowds of people but we had a great time walking around and checking out all the booths. I saw some things I missed the first time around. Not many pottery booths this year which was disappointing as that is my favorite craft. I think I might have to take some classes on pottery making one of these days. We thought Zane might go to sleep as it was nap time but oh no, he would have missed too much. Sleepy boy got to take a nap when we got back home.

It was a wonderful weekend. The trip back last night was uneventful and the traffic was almost non-existent so it was quick. It's always good to spend time with my family.

UPDATE ON THE GRANDS........

2009-02-02T21:26:00.002-05:00

My little guys are growing up so fast. They seem to grow inches and put on pounds between every visit. I had the pleasure of taking care of Zane last Thursday night while mama and papa attended the Eagles concert in Tampa. Then I was in Fort Myers this past weekend and spent time with Kyle, Todd and Zane.

Kyle is 5 years old and a smart little boy. He seems to just absorb everything he hears/sees. He needs to know how everything works. He is now riding his two wheel bike all by himself. The last hurdle was learning to take off by himself but he mastered that on Sunday. What fun to watch him....he was so excited.

Todd is 3-1/2 years old and he is just the sweetest little boy. He grabs your heart and will not release it. He still likes to cuddle and when it's naptime he will crawl up by you and go to sleep. He still loves his blanket when it's time for sleep. He and I had fun with his skateboard on Sunday. Of course he rode it and I held his hands so he wouldn't crash and burn.....he started doing wheelies before we finished.

Baby Zane is now almost 14 months old and weighs in at 25 lbs. He is walking (at times almost running) and is delighted that he can now reach up on tables and grab things he could not before. He loves to play peek-a-boo and have his tummy tickled. Smiles and laughs all the time. He gives me sweet hugs when I pick him up. It's so much fun watching babies as they learn. He is a sweet baby boy.

It seems that it was yesterday that Kyle was born and now I have 3 grands to love. They keep me young with all the laughter and fun they bring to my life. I am blessed to have these little guys.

Response to Tags

2009-01-26T21:22:00.003-05:00

25 Things About Me:
1. I think I was named after a baby on a radio soap opera show
2. My first pet that I remember was a white dog named Cookie
3. I once watched my mama (the sharp shooter) shoot a rooster's head off when he chased me in the yard
4. I am extremely proud of my daughters
5. I am shy and I don't meet people easily
6. I am not as sweet as I used to be
7. I love the men that my daughters have chosen to be part of their lives
8. I am blessed to have 3 of the most special, precious little grandsons ever
9. I am a reformed nail biter -still bite the cuticles some
10. I have found that I have an inner strength unknown to me for years
11. My mama and daddy have been married for 65 years....to each other!
12. I tend to name my cars and form attachments to them (I still miss my Sassy!)
13. I met Ed on a blind date and fell in love at first sight
14. While I was babysitting my sister Laura when she was an infant she fell off the bed she was sleeping on and I thought she was dead....I think I was 15 years old
15. I love my sisters and my brother - as we get older we seem to grow closer
16. I love shoes and have way too many in my closet
17. The most important job I have held in my life is being a mama and grandmama/insurance agent is my sideline
18. I learned to scuba dive even though I don't swim well
19. I found my oldest daughter's name in Seventeen magazine many years before she was born...Teena Paige was a line of clothes and I loved the name Paige. Ashley was supposed to be Aubrey Danielle but Ed nixed it and she became Ashley Ellen instead
20. My Keys yard is overrun with iguanas......grrrr
21. I love boating, most especially in the Keys and Fort Myers with my kids
22. My goal for 2009 is to exercise more, more, more
23. My cat Oreo snores really loud
24. I value my friends - good girlfriends (including sisters) cannot be replaced
25. I miss Ed every day of my life and I think I always will /he gave me wings

IT HAS BEEN A WEEK!!!

2009-01-11T20:00:00.002-05:00

So glad it is today and not last Sunday this time. The nasty little bug I caught managed to hang on for several days after I made I made it back to Clearwater from the Keys. It took until Friday for me to even think about real food. There is a good chance that I will never eat another pretzel or drink Gingerale ever again. I can report that I feel 100% today and have even managed to put away Christmas decorations, clean out closets, clean the apartment and iron some clothes this weekend. Considering I have not been home one weekend for the past 6 weeks the cleaning and laundry was way overdue.

The Gators are National Champions again!!! I can't remember ever seeing a better football game and have never seen a better championship game. The Gators & OU were so evenly matched that it was nip and tuck the whole way. Tim Tebow announced today he will be staying for another year so with that news and not losing anyone off the defense we should have a good team next year.

I missed seeing my kids this weekend. After I spend so much time with them it's hard when I don't see them at least once a week. I feel so fortunate to be able to visit with them so often so I can't complain.

Happy 65th Birtday Eddie. It would have been a good day for you and we would have had a great party. I miss you every day .....

All Good Things Must Come to an End......

2009-01-03T11:11:00.003-05:00

We were saddened a couple of days ago to hear that Rob Squires had died. He was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease 5 years ago and had fought the good fight to continue life for as long as he could. My prayers are with his family. I have gone through the sadness of losing a spouse but I can't imagine the heartache of losing a child. I am truly blessed in that I still have both of my parents and all of my siblings. We all loved Rob and will miss him.

My little Sook has engine problems and will probably need a new one....can't see throwing good money after bad. Would rather save up for a new engine that will last me a good long time. My thanks to Kevin for trying so hard to find a solution. Yesterday was not the first time we have had a tow in the Keys but it is the first time for Sook!

Then to top it off, last night Bama lost the Sugar Bowl to Utah. It was as if they did not even prepare for the game. I was so disappointed that they did not make a better showing. At least most of the other SEC teams have won so far. Just South Carolina and Alabama have not. BUMMER!!!

But having said all the above, putting all in perspective, we need to all be thankful for our families every single day that we have them in our lives. Boats can be repaired. There will be other bowl games. But our loved ones just can't be replaced and are forever gone from us except for the memories.

God bless all who read this post and Happy New Year 2009!

Happy Gator Nation

2008-12-08T21:20:00.003-05:00

The Gators have again made it to the National Championship game and it is in Miami!! Just a few hours away you say. Well it might as well be in California for most of us trying to make it to the game. We are hoping to be able to score tickets (for Paige & Ashley) and am disappointed that more tickets are not allotted to the schools. Out of the 73,000+ tickets, only 32,000 are given to the schools. Where oh where do those other tickets go? But, if not we will all be gathered around a TV somewhere to watch our Gators take on the Sooners. Welcome back to Florida Bobby!!!

What a game in Atlanta last weekend. Alabama certainly came to play. It was close and exciting and SEC football at it's best. It's hard to watch your team lose a big game......been there and done that....many times. It is a lot more fun when you win and this time it was our turn.

Side note: We have a new employee at our office. Today was her first day. Would you believe she grew up in Greenville, AL? not 12 miles from my home town? Once we have time to sit and talk a little we will see if we know any of the same people. She is a BIG Alabama fan so she scowled a little at my orange and blue outfit and Gator jewelry. Unfortunately she is really outnumbered in our office.

Good luck Gators....make us proud!!

No Title

2008-12-04T20:23:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving in Fort D was so much fun. The weather on Turkey Day was just glorious and thankfully so. It is really difficult to cram 30+ people into the little house on Coleman Road. And by the way, when did the name change from Mt Willing Rd??

Sunday, the first weekend, my Aunt Melba had a bad car accident. She has 5 broken ribs and a large hematoma on her forehead. She has been recuperating at my cousin Beverly's home and is feeling much better.

After a week's visit we started back to Florida on Saturday morning and that is the day it started to rain. It rained most of the trip to Tallahassee, it poured water the entire UF/FSU game, and it continued to rain on us as we traveled south on Sunday to Clearwater and Ft Myers. Ashley did a marvelous job of driving..it was nice not to have to drive on this trip... and we arrived safely home.

Then we started to get some more bad news. We think my daddy had another TIA early Sunday morning. He seems much better now but it is so scary for my mama when this happens. On Wednesday my Aunt Bill died. I know she was at peace and was ready but we were not ready to let her go. She will be missed so much.

I am so thankful to have gotten to see Aunt Bill, Uncle Max & Aunt Beth this trip. I love all my aunts and uncles and it's hard to have them leave us one by one.I have so many wonderful memories of family gatherings and special events. We have a very close family and I feel so blessed especially when I encounter others who don't have that closeness with their families.

It's Almost Turkey Day Once Again

2008-11-19T20:55:00.002-05:00

This year will be a little different in that I will be traveling to Alabama the weekend before Thanksgiving and will be there the entire week. Ashley, Kyle and Todd are going to be driving up with me and I know the GG's are so excited. There is something about having little people in the house that makes a holiday so much more fun. Kevin will be flying up on Wednesday.

Now if only my Daddy will not keep the heat up to 110 degrees....bless his heart he just gets so cold. I guess I will be taking one suitcase with shorts and tee shirts and one with jeans and sweaters. Sigh.....

Paige, PG and Zane are traveling to Hope Town to spend the holiday with his dad and stepmom. I know they are going to have a great visit. Zane is just such a sweet little boy and so much fun to be around. And I know Paige & PG are going to have such a good time showing him off to everyone. Safe travels to you!!

We are not going to miss seeing the last Gator home game this weekend. Ashley, the boys and I will be stopping over in G'ville for at least part of the game. It's always a little sad when this time of year arrives and we have to find another way to entertain ourselves on Saturday. FSU game is in Tallahassee and then off to Hot'lanta for the SEC championship game against Alabama. Been there, done that before. It is going to be fun to watch these two teams go head to head.

Safe and happy Thanksgiving to all who might check in to my blog.

Election 2008

2008-11-05T15:24:00.002-05:00

Very mixed emotions from people I have spoken to today regarding the election of our next president. The ones of us who suffered through the JFK and Jimmy Carter years are more than a little skeptical about the outcome of this one. Not that I could say that I was 100% behind John McCain but the issues being spouted by "Barama" are just way too out there for me.

Our country was founded on Christian principles and we have been considered the greatest country in the world for hundreds of years. Everyone wanted to come here to live and that was OK if those people came here to work and make a life, however, in the last decade or so the integrity of our country has been compromised. We are now more a country of people who expect to be taken care of.......I see it every day in my industry. We are an entitlement society.

Now we have elected a person who proclaims to be an American but he must be of the new breed of American because in my America the president will salute our flag, put his hand over his heart when the national anthem is played and honors the fighting men and women over which he is commander-in-chief.

It seems that our younger generation is OK with our country becoming a socialist nation. National health care....what a joke. Why do people from other countries want to come here for medical care if the care in their country is so great? Why are the members of the younger generations expecting the government to take care of them? What happened to working for the things you want and the life you want to lead? I have worked hard since I was 18 years old to be able to have the things I want in life. Somehow it seems really unfair that government thinks that my hard earned income should be mega taxed to pay for freebie programs for people who don't want to work. Many people come to our country, work hard and become very successful. People who are born in this country seem to have a hard time with the concept of hard work for what they want....they have a gimme for free attitude.

Sorry to be such a downer on this post but I am truly blue today. Hopefully tomorrow will be be a better day for me.

October Update

2008-10-27T20:44:00.002-04:00

Once Gator football season starts my car seems to stay in the road most every weekend. Add to that a BIG celebration in Fort Deposit for monumental birthdays and a 65th wedding anniversary and it has been a crazy month.

What a great celebration party we had. As it turned out it was a mini-family reunion for me. George it was great seeing you after all these years. I was trying to remember when we had last been in the same place and I can't remember any time since the one family reunion at the armory and that was a long time ago! It was just great catching up with you. And.....if you decide to stay home and not off on a hunting trip next year we will catch up with you in Baton Rouge when UF plays LSU.

Many other cousins were there and what a special day when we could have Aunt Bill, Uncle Max, Aunt Beth, Aunt Neanie, and Aunt Melba visit with us. I can't even express how special that was for me. I know Mama & Daddy feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family and so many friends.

Unfortunately, my Daddy ended up in the hospital again this week (not from the party!)but hopefully will be home soon.

Last weekend was Homecoming @ UF. What a great time we had. Friday night the big kids (Paige, Ashley & Kevin) went to Gator Growl and rocked to the Steve Miller Band. I got to keep all my little grandboys for the evening......they are all so sweet and have such a good time together. I think I had more fun with the little kids than the big kids could have had at Growl!! Saturday Kevin & Kyle went to Tallahassee for the FSU game while Ashley, Todd, Paige, Zane and I went to Gainesville for the UF/Kentucky game. And what a game........next Saturday will be the BIG game against the Georgia Dawgs.

There is still more to the month of October with Halloween this weekend. But it looks like hurricane season is finally over. It is going to be cold here tomorrow morning and colder on Wednesday morning. That means the water is cooling down and the storms have nothing to feed on. Yippee!

COUNTING OUR BLESSINGS

2008-10-07T20:06:00.002-04:00

Early this morning I got a call from my youngest daughter to let me know that her husband, Kevin, had been in a really bad car accident. When the call started with "Mama, Kevin is just fine...." the heartbeat sped up a trifle and anxiety set in. After I heard the rest of the story the shaking started and I had to sit down. Kevin was almost home (from a trip to Miami)when he lost control of his car on rain slick roads and his Expedition rolled into the median totally destroying the car. Thank you God for watching over him as Kevin walked away with absolutely no injuries....not even minor. Everyone who has seen the vehicle is amazed that he was not killed or at the least badly injured. We are all counting our blessings tonight that this story has a good ending. There is much to be done to replace the car and the electronics but THEY CAN BE REPLACED. Kevin could not be replaced if we lost him.

Over the weekend I had a chance to visit Quiet Water and had a great weekend of relaxation. I love October in the Keys. Winter visitors have not arrived yet; the weather is usually good; there are fewer bugs (the biting kind)and the pace has slowed down after the summer months. All the above was true except for the weather. It stormed Saturday night with very gusty winds. Kinda felt like a tropical storm coming through again. At least the extreme high tides seem to have abated somewhat as there was no water over the driveway this weekend. Only two iguanas showed themselves while I was in residence. Hate those things!

I came back through Fort Myers last night and got to spend some time with Ashley and the boys (supervised a very splashy bath time) and Paige, PG and Zane (got to feed the little guy...he loves his groceries). No matter how my day is going..... when I get to spend time with my kids (little and big)I always get a boost. I am looking forward to making that move to FM early next year.

A special thank you to God this evening for watching over my family, most especially Kevin last night. My family is the most important part of my life and I thank God for them each and every day.

Shades of 2004 Storm Season

2008-09-07T15:41:00.002-04:00

Looks like a storm freight train coming at us across the water from Africa. The latest one (Ike) is scary. I don't wish bad things on the Cuban people but I continue to have hope the storm will move further south and not hit the Keys too badly. We did all the prep we could do before Gustav and it will stay that way until this storm season is over. All we can do now is pray there are no injuries/deaths and our homes are not damaged.

Because of the storms, the weather in the state of Florida is hot and HUMID. Paige, Ashley and I went to Gainesville yesterday for the UF/Miami game. You would think an 8:00 pm start time would mean that the stadium would be cooler. Oh, but no!! I don't ever remember being that hot in my life. The Swamp is built partially below ground level and with all the new seating added in the last few years there is very little chance of a breeze making it's way into the stadium easily. Yesterday there was NONE and I do mean none. I can tell you right now that this lady did not just glisten yesterday, she was sweating big time. It was really hard to stay hydrated but we did OK. It was a late night for us as we got back to Clearwater about 1:30 this morning. The girls left about 9:00 this morning for home. It has been a while since I spent this much time with just the girls and me. I certainly enjoyed it.

Kevin took Kyle & Todd to Tally yesterday for the FSU game. It was scheduled to kickoff @ 6:00 pm. Unfortunately the game was lightning delayed not once but twice. Poor guys didn't get to see any football but I can be almost assured they had a good time anyway. Phil was also doing a little father/son bonding time this weekend. He kept Zane in Fort Myers while Paige came up for the game and overnight. They went to see a baseball game Saturday night. Phil was a real trooper as Zane had an upset tummy during the nightand threw up 4 times .Paige said he was OK when she got home this morning......both Zane and PG!

It's been a lazy day for me. Went to church this morning and then came back and washed all the bug guts off my car. I hate to leave the bugs on it for very long as it damages the paint and did I ever kill a lot of them on the back roads last night. But I also hate to wash my car......I don't know why I dislike that chore so much but I do. I think my car wash man, Steve, will be washing Nonni in future. Also, lots of laundry to catch up on with all the traveling I have done in the past week. Could be a busy week next week if Ike turns into Florida. Surely hope that doesn't happen as our insurance market will go crazy again.

It's going to be a very uneasy next 2 or 3 days as we watch the progress of Ike.

FAY THE FICKLE LADY

2008-08-26T21:02:00.002-04:00

Wow, we are having some firsts with storms in the past few years. I can't ever remember one coming back at us this many times. Twice, yes, but not four times!! All I can say is that we prayed for rain and boy did we ever have that prayer answered. It was pretty eerie to hear the weather folks talk about rain in feet and not inches. I guess that old saying "be careful for you wish for...." is a good warning.

My kids, and their homes, are safe as is Quiet Water and for that I am thankful. Now we have Gustav on the horizon although they say this one is going to pay a visit to Mexico or Texas. I don't wish bad weather on them but this one looks like it might be bad so I would be happy to have it pass us by.

Labor Day weekend will find me at home at Quiet Water. Ashley, Kevin and the boys plan to be there with me. I hope the weather will hold as I look forward to Kyle spending his 5th birthday in the Keys. He has celebrated his birthday there every year so far. Paige, Phil and Zane don't get back from Canada until Thursday this week so they probably will opt to spend the weekend at home in Fort Myers but would love them to come on down if they can.

Phil participated in Ironman Canada on Sunday. 2.5 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26 mile run.....I can't even imagine attempting anything like that. If I survived I am sure I wouldn't be able to walk for a week. Congratulations on a great job PG!

Kyle had his "friends" birthday party last Saturday at a play park in Fort Myers. What a great place for a kid's birthday party. Lots of games inside, go carts and miniature golf outside. Everyone seemed to have a fun time. Lunch was pizza and then everybody enjoyed the wonderful cake that Ashley made. Kyle had requested a chocolate cake with strawberries. Ash turned a box cake mix into a scrumptious delight. I got to babysit for little Alyssa while her mama was outside with her big brother. What a sweetie.

Thank goodness for Fox, TNT, Lifetime, etc. this week. I cannot abide watching the political conventions (either party). Just a bunch of politicians grandstanding. I certainly hope the people in the US think through the issues and consider the candidates carefully before the November election.

Batten Down The Hatches

2008-08-18T19:36:00.002-04:00

Rush trip down to Quiet Water on Saturday to prepare the house and boat for TS Fay. Back in Clearwater late last night (actually early this morning). I have been on pins and needles all day but probably will not hear from anyone in Marathon until tomorrow. Water has to recede and the roads made passable before someone can go to the house to make sure all is well. As of tonight it looks like the storm could possibly be turning more northward and that would be good for Tampa but not so good for Naples/Fort Myers. I hated to leave my house yesterday but it's not wise to stay on the off chance the storm will strengthen to a big bad one. Needless to say I am tired today but felt much better after putting up plywood and tying down the boat (which was an experience in and of itself.......I am certainly glad there was no one around with a camera but, hey, it might have won a prize on one of those "funniest" shows)

There is always such excitement in the air when a hurricane is on the horizon. Everybody kicks into high gear. Surprisingly enough there is no evident panic here and none in Marathon yesterday even though this is the first storm to come close in two years. I guess people are finally beginning to realize it does no good to panic. You have to just watch and make smart decisions based on where the storm is going. These things don't move very fast so there is time to prepare or get out of town. There are still a few people at my office who get anxious.

Let's hope that this is the only storm that comes near in 2008.

Time Is Flying!

2008-08-14T19:55:00.002-04:00

Here it is mid August and where has the time gone?? In another couple of weeks my oldest grand will be 5 years old, "summer" is almost over and football season is just around the corner. My mama always told me,when I was a child,that I should not wish my life away because the older I got the faster time would go. Well, as with most things, my mama was right.

It has been a really difficult few months for the Conway clan with so many of our folks having health issues. Aunt Bill, Uncle Max, Mama & Daddy and Aunt Aileen. It makes me sad to think about losing any of these people who are such a big part of my life and heritage. I know growing old is part of life and will come to each of us. I look in the mirror everyday and think who is that person looking back? Certainly that can't be me since I still feel young at heart....how can a body betray you like that?? Then I remember all the people I know who are struggling with bad health or tragedies they must face into and I know how blessed I am. First of all to have been privileged to be a part of this wonderful extended family of mine but also for the health and blessings that I enjoy every day. I hope and pray I never take these things for granted.

Ashley, Kevin and the boys spent last week at Quiet Water with some friends. I think everyone had a good time....surely sounded like it every time they called to talk with me. Except for one when I got a phone call from 2 teary voiced boys apologizing for "breaking" my air mattress. It seems they were using it as a trampoline and it "brwoke". I think dad was able to put it back together but they promised me they would not jump on the beds any more. Then a few days later I get another phone call with Ash telling me that Todd "wants to speak with me". I think, oh my, is he calling to apologize for something again?? Oh, but no, he is calling to tell me that he has been snorkeling and as he put it.....saw lots is fishes and a sting ray.....but it was just a little one Pappi. Needless to say that made my day. This is my 3 year old who has not wanted to learn to swim. I hope this is the beginning of him losing his fear of the water.

Last Saturday Paige and Zane came by to visit for a little while and he just gets cuter every time I see that baby. He took a much needed nap for the first hour or so but then got up and he and I sat on the floor and played with toys for a while. He turned 8 months old this week. Wow, it was only yesterday wasn't it that he was born? There we go with the "flying" time again. Didn't get to see PG as he was working shooting grads at USF.

We are getting much needed rain . It has rained all day today and there is a lot of water in the retention ponds just outside my apartment. So far we have not had to deal with any major storms and hopefully we will have another quiet season.

Making a trip down to Quiet Water this weekend and I do love to spend time at home. Will be stopping in to visit with all my kids on the way down and/or back to get some hugs and smooches.

MY LATEST VISIT HOME TO QUIET WATER

2008-07-21T19:42:00.003-04:00

I was able to get away to QW last weekend. It is just so special to wake up at home on Saturday morning and have coffee on the porch overlooking the canal. Saturday was spent cleaning up a bit and then I got this brainstorm of an idea.......I wanted to paint the kitchen. Two and a half years ago we had to take down a small cabinet to make room for the new refrigerator which left a bare, unfinished wall. For some reason on Saturday that wall was just bugging me and it had to be fixed.

Down to Home Depot and a quart of Lemon Ice paint and I got started. Once the wall behind the refrigerator was done I stepped back and realized that I needed to paint the wall above the other cabinets because it just looked funky the way it was. OK, so now 3 hours later I step back and it looks pretty good. But it still needed something. Soooo, I decided to put up a shelf for some bottles that we have collected over the years from the beach. Now I am done, right? Well not exactly.

Now I look at the other small wall around the pantry door and it just cries out for paint. But, I only have a little bit of paint left and now it is 7:30 pm. Another trip to Home Depot but alas by the time I arrived they were CLOSED. I forgot I was in Marathon and not Clearwater. So that meant that I had to pick up more paint Sunday after church and finish up before I left to come back north. One thing is for certain, I left the house in tip top shape and the kitchen is now bright and cheery with it's new color. No matter that I worked hard over the weekend I had a wonderful visit home.

Sunday I was able to stop by to see my kids on the way back to Clearwater. Paige, PG and Zane leave Wednesday for a trip to see PG's grandmother and other family in Ohio. This will be the first trip for Zane to Ohio and I know PG's family is thrilled to have this chance to meet little Z man.

Since Ashley has not posted in a few weeks I just have to put something on my post: They were all at the dinner table and everyone had finished except Todd. I guess he must have wanted to leave the table and Ashley said something like "no because you have not touched the food on your plate....." Well, you must understand that Todd has inherited his mama's penchant for one liners. (Ashley used to just crack us up with her remarks when she was little.) Anyway, Todd gives Ash one of his coy looks, reached over and touched the food on his plate and said something like "there I touched it" and then just smiled!! I am not sure I know what happened after that but I feel certain it involved some kind of behavioral therapy. :)

I got to put Kyle and Todd to bed last night. It was Todd's turn to pick out the bedtime story and it was a good one about sharing. These guys are just growing up so fast. Kyle is getting so tall. I can hardly believe he is almost 5 years old. Pretty soon Zane will be walking/running around with these two. It is a challenge to keep up with them but they keep me young. Thanks guys!

July 4th "Vacation"

2008-07-09T21:30:00.002-04:00

Every time we are at Quiet Water my oldest grandson proclaims we are on vacation. Works for me.

I was able to spend the Wednesday night before with Paige and Zane (PG was on the west coast shooting for a movie). I had such fun playing with Zane..........lots of smiles and "talking"was involved. I left Fairfield Drive early on Thursday morning and arrived at Edgemere Drive before Kevin left for work....that's early!The boys slept in a bit but once they were awake and breakfast was over things kicked into high gear. After we put their little red suitcases in my car we were off on our journey to the Keys.

About 20 minutes into the trip the question "how much longer....?" made it's first appearance but there was no whining or fussing. Just the question. We made it to the Capri restaurant in Florida City for lunch. Pizza, chocolate milk and ice cream. I ordered a large pizza for the 3 of us and I got to eat 2 slices.......the boys were hungry! Once we left Florida City both of the boys took a nap and by the time they woke up we were about 3 miles away from Quiet Water.

We dropped our bags at the house, turned up the A/C and water and then went into town to the post office and to pick up groceries. Hot dogs for dinner and then to bed pretty much on schedule for the boys. I waited up for Kevin and Ashley to arrive. Once they arrived safely we all hit the sack.

Friday:
*Kevin worked on Sook most all day and got her running by the end of the day. While he worked, Ashley, Kyle, Todd and I went to the beach. I had bought a kite the day before and the boys had fun flying it with their mama. It did get caught in the mangroves and we had to do major work to get it undone....but we did. Friday night was spent anchored off the beach @ Sombrero to watch the fireworks which were spectacular. There was a little snafu with the anchor but Kevin managed to work around it and we all enjoyed the evening.

Saturday:
Sook is running so we spent the entire day on the boat, most of the time at the sandbar just hanging out. When not snorkeling around the boat Kyle was climbing up and then jumping off the the side with all of the adults yelling "feet first" every time he started to jump. (We were anchored over shallow water) Todd put on his mask and snorkel and after a while was having a great time kicking around with one of us holding his hands. Later in the afternoon we ran down to Burdine's on the Water for gas, drinks and snacks. Kyle and Todd both got to steer the boat while we were idling in the canals and they did a great job! Then back to Quiet Water to get showered and dressed to have dinner @ Annette's. Had to check on Nemo and "Frankie the Puffer" before we left Marathon.

Sunday:
Ashley, Kevin and the boys left early morning so they could visit with friends on the way back to Fort Myers. Pappi pretty much vegged all the rest of the day with a little bit of cleaning included. The house was so very quiet after the Longs left.

Monday:
Big cleaning day for me and once I started I found more and more that wanted to spruce up. I ended up leaving later than I planned but the house was left in sparkling condition for Ryan, Kylene and Riley who arrived on Tuesday.

As always, it was difficult to leave and head back to Pinellas county. I find such peace at Quiet Water. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful place to escape to as often I wish to.

ALABAMA VISIT

2008-06-19T21:39:00.003-04:00

I have spent the past week in Fort D watching over my mama and daddy. It is really true that the older we get the more child like we become. My daddy is a stubborn, cantakerous man at 89 but I have to feel some empathy for him. He has always been outside the house either working, gardening, hunting, driving around or just plain walking the pasture. His hearing and eyesight are VERY impaired and he is having a hard time accepting the limitations he has to face into. On the other hand, my mama has always been a homebody (mostly home by herself during the day) and it has been difficult for her to have my daddy under foot 100% of the time. She rivals Job with the patience she exhibits with my daddy......I couldn't do it. She has spoiled that man rotten over the years.

My daddy had gall bladder surgery a few weeks ago and has fought hard to regain his strength and has done a remarkable job rehabing. But while he was recuperating my mama came down with bronchitis. Combined with the strain and stress of the past few weeks she has not started feeling better. At the doctor's office yesterday her BP was 170/120. Yikes!!! The doc has prescribed complete rest for her and she and daddy are under strict orders from their kids to make sure that happens.

I hate to see my parents age. It was so hard for me to leave them today and I couldn't hold back the tears as I was thinking of them on the flights back. I could picture my daddy as he was this morning sitting in his chair with a sad look on his face. I know he is lonely and craves someone to talk with all the time. He hugged me not once but twice today before he would let me leave. I know he has to feel isolated living in a world with limited hearing and sight.

And my mama. At age 85 she deserves to have relaxation in her daily living but it is difficult with daddy and the care she feels she has to give him. I know she feels annoyance with daddy when he asks questions 2 or 3 times before he can hear the answer. Or when he hears her say something different from what she actually said. But one thing is for certain, she will never have regrets when it comes to the care she has given daddy over the years. She gave me an extra special hug today when I left.

In his own way I think daddy tries to take care of mama when she is sick. And I believe he listened to me when I told him yesterday that complete rest means no housework, no cooking, no waiting on anyone. Janet and I almost fell off our chairs last night when he picked up his dishes and took them to the kitchen sink.

As usual daddy entertained me all week with all the wonderful stories (memories) he tells. He can remember dates and names of people from years ago and I can't remember things from one day to the next. He and I took a rode trip to Gulf Shores on Tuesday to see Uncle Max. We had a nice visit and then went to Lulu's for lunch (Jimmy Buffet's sister's restaurant). It is a neat place and the food was great. Then we stopped @ Reeboks and bought a new pair of tennis shoes. Daddy came back to Fort D and slept 3 hours in his chair......one tired puppy but I know he was glad he went to see his brother so the trip was worth it.

I must give special thanks to my sisters/brothers (yeah that includes the in-laws!) for the work that has been done around the house. Tommy W and Steve finished up the ramp that was started by Max and Janet, Steve and Mr Willie cleaned up the garden so that there will be tomatoes and squash this year, took out the window A/C units and changed the security lightbulb. J and I tackled the upstairs and took a truckload of "stuff" to Goodwill and a truckload of paper over to the burn pile. Lots of tired muscles and sore backs that day.

Ellen & Tommy W, thanks for having the folks stay at your home for 2 weeks. There is no way they could have gone back to Fort D from the hospital. Laura, thanks for all the time you devote to making sure all is well. Taking everyone to doc appointments, making sure there is food to eat and basically just taking care.

Mama has an ultra sound test tomorrow. Hopefully that will rule out anything serious and she will start to feel better quickly now.

VACATION WITH THE BOYS

2008-05-19T20:47:00.003-04:00

I spent last week taking care of my two oldest grands and it was sooooooo much fun. We spent a couple of days at Quiet Water chasing poor little land crabs and looking for iguanas. We walked down to the beach each day and had such a good time playing in the water. At low tide there is a sandbar that is perfect for kids to play safely. We had to buy some water shoes though as this is a natural beach and even though it has been cleaned up there is still glass in the water. One day there was someone there doing kite surfing and Kyle was just fascinated. He and Todd both wanted to go get a machine that beeps to find coins in the water (lots of people out with metal detectors).

In all my infinite wisdom I bought the boys some kid scissors to cut designs out of paper. BUT because we had been talking so much about them needing haircuts they decided to tackle that job themselves. We visited Robert @ Headhunters in Marathon who did a great job cleaning up the bald spots in their hair after they played barber.

The boys both loved having lunch at Herbie's. They had hot dogs (just like their mama used to order) and lemonade. The waitress came over and sat down with the boys and talked to them about her own little boy who is in school in Marathon. We visited Annette's for dinner and the boys were so good they got compliments from lots of the other people there on what well-behaved little boys they were........... I was so proud. And of course we had to visit Nemo in the aquarium. The boys don't know it but that is not the same Nemo that was there before. If they don't hide well enough they get eaten by the big puffer fish who has lived there for 6 years!

We came back to Fort Myers on Wednesday so I could have my hair cut by Deanne the next day. We brought Auntie Paige and Uncle PG some key lime pie from the Blond Giraffe. We got to hang out with Auntie Paige and Zane for the rest of the week. What a sweet baby and boy is the personality beginning to show with all the smiles and laughing. He is eating cereal now. Actually scarfing it down! He is so cute to watch.

It was hard for me to leave Fort Myers. I had such a great week. Today at work was about as I expected it to be. It's always hard to come back from a vacation. But Memorial Day weekend is this next weekend. Yahoo!!

The only concern during the whole week was that my daddy had to go into the hospital with what has been diagnosed as gall stones. Today the doc told him and mama they want to remove the gall bladder later this week. My sisters and brother are taking good care of everything up there and making sure mama gets her rest. Thanks and love to all of you.

Calm Before Storm Season Begins

2008-04-24T19:53:00.004-04:00

Spring has sprung with beautiful greenery everywhere, warm temperatures, cool breezes, pretty flowers and blue skies with puffy white clouds. It has been perfect for walking after work and it feels really good to get back to an exercise regimen. Next week I hope to start a kick boxing class .... well at least give it a try.

I am off to Quiet Water this weekend and look forward to relaxing a bit. Friends are already booking visits for summer so I am taking advantage of every opportunity I can to be there myself. Maybe I will catch sight of the BIG iguana (kinda like big kahuna?) while I am there. Everybody keeps telling me how big this guy is but I have yet to see him myself.

Just six weeks until hurricane season officially arrives. My wish is that we have another quiet one as we still have not quite recovered from the back to back bad years. If they will just stay off shore and pass us by that would be the best of all scenarios. As Jimmy Buffet always says....time will tell.

Directions from a 4 Year Old

2008-04-10T19:54:00.003-04:00

Yesterday afternoon Ashley called to tell me the time of Kyle & Todd's school program Friday night. Kyle realized she was talking with me and asked to speak to me. Once on the phone our conversation goes kinda like this:

Me: Hi Sweetie, did you have a good day @ school?
K: Yes, uh yes ma'am (little coaching from mom)
Me: Did you get a green card?
K: Yes ma'am and Todd did too.
Me: I am going to be at your school program on Friday night.
K: I know
Me: I am just going to come straight to the school from work so I will see you there.
K: OK Pappi.......
He then proceeds to tell me in great detail how to get to his school. At red lights I have to stop. Same with stop signs. He told me to turn right and left with landmarks "on the right or left". And last, "and then you will see the gym". It was just the cutest thing and he actually gave me directions for about 2 minutes. I was trying so hard not to giggle it was just so special.

This time I didn't hang up on my little sweetheart Todd. He told me he had gotten a green card at school too and he got a lollipop when he left. I told him I couldn't wait to get a hug from him this weekend and he told me he loved me. How much better can it get from there?

Can't wait to see everyone this weekend.

First Trip Home 2008

2008-04-08T19:56:00.002-04:00

My winter visitors have gone back to Tennessee and I was able to travel to Quiet Water for the weekend. My good friend Debbie was able to go with me and we had a wonderful weekend, too much food, a lot of shopping and just talked until we were hoarse. It was the first time Debbie has been back to QW in years. We tried to remember the last time but couldn't.

We had a very uneventful trip down on Friday night but a stressful return. We thought we waited long enough that most of the bad weather was past, however, we ran into a monster storm on the Alley. Debbie said it was like a snow "white out" which I have never experienced. I was thankful we were in her car and she was driving. It was a little scary for a while. We can't complain too much though because we need the rain so badly.

We kept looking for the gigantic iguana that made an appearance while the Bellamys were in residence but never saw even a little one on the yard. Did see one or two squashed on Coco Plum Drive. Guess that is Keys roadkill.

I missed seeing my kids (big and little) last weekend. I think they may get tired of seeing me so often but I never tire of them. I am traveling to FM this weekend for a hair appointment and can't wait to get some sweet hugs. Zane & Paige are still in Tallahassee so I won't see them for another couple of weeks. I know that little baby has grown so much since I saw him last. I'll be glad when they are home to stay.

Spring fever has grabbed hold of me it seems as there has been major cleanout of closets and drawers in the past week. It's amazing what you find you have forgotten you had when you start looking through storage. I am somewhat of a pack rat but nothing like my daddy.....thank goodness.

Now if I could just get motivated and exercise. The hardest part is just getting started.

IS IT JUST OLD AGE?

2008-03-31T20:18:00.002-04:00

Last week on March 26th I would have celebrated my 43rd wedding anniversary with Eddie. I have been through 11 now without him and even though I don't shed as many tears any more on that date I can't tell you that the hurt is not still there. Losing one half of yourself is not an easy thing to adjust to but time does make it somewhat easier. For a while I just made myself stop the tears, stop the sadness and just pushed it all down butI have come to realize that it's OK to let myself feel whatI feel when I feel it and that helped the healing. I have so many beautiful memories of my time with Eddie (yeah there were some not so beautiful ..... we did have a normal marriage after all) but those memories make that date still very special for me.

It has been a hard two weeks for me at work. Three more people have lost their jobs and two of them are close to my age, thus the title of this post. One of them is a really good friend of mine for over 33 years. She and I have worked together, here and there, for many years. We have gone through raising our daughters together, cried over losing friends and family, laughed a lot, and shared so many experiences that she feels like a sister as well as my friend. I know she is going to be OK but I am really sad about losing our daily relationship. It is hard to imagine our office without her there. On the other hand, she earned a great severance package and maybe will be able to pursue something fun to do with her time instead of working as hard as she has for the past 18 years at our office.

As Scarlett so aptly put it, tomorrow is another day. Life is good and we all should strive to make it better.

The Busy Month of March

2008-03-25T20:19:00.002-04:00

Where do I start? It's always busy this time of year at work and I usually compound all that with personal stuff and this year has not only been no exception it has been the ultimate.

First there was the trip to Fort Deposit to introduce my newest little grandson to all my family. He is a great traveler and was so good the whole time we were in Alabama even with being passed around from person to person. I am so glad he was able to visit my family while he is still so little otherwise he would be almost a year old and probably walking before they saw him. Babies grow up so fast.

The next week included a trip to Fort Lauderdale for a renewal proposal meeting with a large client on a Thursday, back that night and then an early morning flight on Friday back to Alabama to spend a weekend with my sisters. What a great time we had @ Neva's house in Fort Morgan and what a great place. A little bit of quiet beach heaven. I had forgotten how different the coast looks in north Florida and Alabama compared to south Florida. And I knew we would have a good time but didn't realize what a GOOD time we would have that weekend. It was so much fun talking about all our memories and making new ones. I am blessed to have my sisters also be my good friends. There was no TV (thank goodness), no phone (who needed one?) and plenty of gourmet food thanks to Neva....good gosh who knew she could cook like that? Looking forward to the next "SLUTS" weekend already.

Then the next week Easter arrives and I traveled down to Fort Myers for the weekend. I had not seen my grands for 2-3 weeks and they all have gotten way older since I saw them last. At least that's how it seemed. It is such a treat for me to spend time with all my kids.....the big ones and the little ones. Zane was christened on Sunday @ a beach on Sanibel and Phil's family came down/up to be part of the day. What a treat to get to meet Marlo, Marlene and Rochelle. And I enjoyed spending time with Karen (PG's mom) and talking about grandmother stuff. The weekend was just packed with fun happenings including a cookout on Friday night, brunch @ the Green Flash on Saturday (after the christening) and brunch @ Paige and PG's house on Sunday, topping off Sunday with dinner @ Ashley & Kevin's house. It is so hard for me to say goodbye after a weekend and I look forward to moving there permanently.

April looks like it is building up to be as busy as March but I am not going to turn the calendar until I just have to. I need to get through with this crazy month first. The Tennessee folks will be out of Quiet Water on April 1st and I will be going down to the Keys again. I surely miss my home when I have been away this long.

Winds of March

2008-03-03T20:42:00.002-05:00

It has been a typical March day today except for the 80 degree weather. Beautiful blue skies with lots of fluffy white clouds and WINDY. I guess tomorrow is going to be rainy with a little cooler weather just behind.

This month is going to be a very busy one and as usual this time of year I will be happy when I get past April 1st. Not because of April Fool's Day but because that is the day my largest account renews. I hope that we are smiling after 4/1 this year. We have competition for the first time in a while and the market is iffy. The bright spot in this month will be the weekends with lots of fun plans in place.

It will be 3 weeks before I get to visit with "the Longs" again but I certainly had fun with them last weekend. We went to Kyle's ballgame on Saturday then Ash and I were off to lunch and some shopping. Kevin & Ashley had a date night with a dinner @ Cru and I got to keep the boys. Sunday after church we went to the Greek Festival for more fun and food.

I did get to see Paige, Peegie and Zane before they all left for Tallahassee on Saturday. I travel to Tallahassee this weekend and then Paige, Zane and I will travel on up to Fort Deposit to introduce the Z man to all the Alabama folks. I am looking forward to seeing everyone and having them meet my newest little grandson.

Old Friends Reunion

2008-02-26T21:10:00.003-05:00

We are supposed to have 30 degree weather here tonight. Brrrrrrr The cold front moved through with lots of clouds, some rain, and strong winds. Now there is loud thunder. Should warm up by the weekend.

A little group of old friends had a reunion today at lunch. Wanda H, Shirley B, Marcy V, myself and Cynthia. It has been 24 years since I saw Marcy and about 6 years for Wanda. We did a fairly decent job of "catching up" but lunch went by just way too fast. All of us worked at Bouchard so many years ago it is scary to think how long.

Last evening I went to Ruth Eckerd Hall with a friend to see a folk dance troupe. I expected to see something like River Dance but it was way more than that. The troupe is all Russian and the dances ranged from Gypsy to Greek, Argentinian to Russian plus so much more. It was spectacular. I had forgotten how much I enjoy attending shows.

So what do I do the rest of the week to keep pace with the excitement of the past two days? Good question. Well, at least work is not boring with all the renewals we are working on right now. That should keep me busy.

Pictures of My Boys!

2008-02-24T17:52:00.005-05:00

Here are pictures of my extremely handsome grandsons.

Thanks to my darling daughter, Paige, I now have a new lease on blogging!

The Wedding Weekend

2008-02-11T19:47:00.000-05:00

I was thrilled to be asked to accompany Master Zane to Tallahassee this past weekend so that he and I could hang out while his Mama and Pops attended a wedding. It was a great weekend and the activities were enjoyed by all.

One of the highlights of my weekend was watching Peegie and Paige show off their beautiful son to the many friends they have in Tally. There was much kidding going on from Peegie's ex co-workers but mostly I think they were in awe seeing Peegie with Zane. There were compliments all around: what an adorable baby, good job Phil and Paige, never thought we would see this day, etc. etc. So many of us knew they would be good parents long before they knew it.

It was fun for me to see people that I had met a couple of times before and get reacquainted. It was nice of Ryan and Kylene to include me in the party festivities. It was a little chilly and I am glad I took my coat as everything was mostly outside. You can tell that Springtime is just around the corner up there. I would like to visit Paige while she is in session just to see the dogwood and azaleas in bloom. I expect it will be beautiful.

The Last Week of January 2008

2008-02-02T09:41:00.000-05:00

It has been a somewhat difficult week at our office. Apparently we are still under budget constraints and we have been told that once again this year we will not be seeing any increase in salary. It is very disheartening as personal expenses certainly don't "freeze" so everyone has to tighten the belt just a little more. But I am very thankful that I have a job that I can enjoy working with a team that I like and can respect. Unfortunately we are going to lose some of our staff due to corporate's decision to send certain aspects of our business offshore to India and that makes me sad and a little angry. We hear that this country is sliding into a recession, people are being let go from jobs with no real prospects for a new one on the horizon (next step is filing for unemployment)and we all need to spend money to shore up the economy. Huh?? When you send work offshore to another country which eliminates jobs how can you expect people to feel much like spending money? People everywhere are holding on to what they have in fear their job might be the next to go.

My wish for 2008 is that our country will rebound in a positive way. The people of the US are the smartest in the world and we are founded on great principles. Go USA.

MY FUNNY GRANDBOYS

2008-01-28T19:52:00.000-05:00

I spent the past weekend in Fort Myers with 3 handsome boys and their parents. I have to tell you that the older ones keep me laughing with their antics and little Zane with the expressions he puts on his face.

On my way down south Ashley radioed me and then called me back so that Kyle and I could chat. We talked a few minutes and then he asked me if I wanted to talk with Todd. That is not what I heard........I will blame that on road noise and the cell phone.....what I heard was are you coming to see Todd tonight too? I said yes, see you in a little while, love you/bye.....just as Kyle handed the phone to Todd. Well at that point I had already hung up on little Todd. Ashley called back and said that Todd was in the back just telling me all about the Green cards he got at school. Finally he realized I wasn't there and handed the phone to his mama and told her "she no want to talk to me"!! They called back and I had to apologize to my little munchkin. Ashley found it to be quite amusing.

Kyle still has a scar under his noise from kissing the concrete when he had his skateboarding accident. Makes me feel somewhat guilty for giving him the board for Christmas. I told Ashley she needs to do a new post to her blog as I can't bear to look at his sweet face all beat up.

Zane is growing fast like all babies will do. He still has a head full of black hair and is smiling a little. Apparently he is going to be a thinker (not stinker!) as he just studies your face when you are talking with him and depending on whether he likes what you are saying or not he will smile or put on a pouty face.

It is cold here in Clearwater. It was supposed to be high 60s today but didn't get past 58. Hopefully it will warm up in the next day or so. I hate cold weather and just want to hibernate. I try to remember that it is much colder in a lot of other places but that's hard to do when my fingers, toes and nose are COLD. Summertime is just around the corner and I can assure you that I don't complain about the hot weather.....just hate that the warm brings the storms.

Weekend in Clearwater

2008-01-19T20:01:00.000-05:00

It's hard for me not to get in my car every Friday afternoon and head down to Fort Myers to spend time with all my kids (big and little). It has been a typical weekend in Clearwater in that I have spent my entire day cleaning the apartment. How can one little space get so dirty? Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny but cold. Perhaps will be a day to do browse some antique shops.

I bought a new vacuum cleaner last night as my 25 year old one finally bit the dust. Or I guess I should say it wouldn't bite the dust anymore. The new vacuum is one of those jobs that doesn't use bags. Omigosh, i was appalled when I finished with my bedroom (where the cats are not even allowed to roam) but I was disgusted after I finished the living area where the cats do live. I collected enough hair to make a 3 or 4 pound fake cat. I guess the old vacuum was in really bad shape long before it said "no more!!!"

I finally got out about 2:30 to run some errands and just finished up and gotten back here before the BAD storms came rolling in. It's the first time I can ever remember there being 3 tornado warning areas at one time. Fortunately I was in the middle of two and got no wind but it has rained, thank the Lord, and is still raining. Hopefully this is going to help our drought. It was scary but exciting to watch Baynews 9 and see the clouds moving across......it was booking it and that's a good thing for us as the winds didn't stay over us long. There were some waterspouts off Madeira Beach and tornado spotted in New Port Richey.

My building has a lot of vacant apartments right now. As of today I have no one on either side or below me. I do, however, have Heather and Murphy living upstairs. Murphy is a BIG dog who loves to run and play....on top of my head as it were. Heather likes to play music with a loud bass so I never feel all alone. There is always noise.

In case you were thinking about it....don't rent the movie El Cantante (the one with JLo and Marc) It is pretty awful.

Holiday Blessings

2008-01-05T21:11:00.000-05:00

It was supposed to be a holiday season with a schedule HOWEVER after getting a phone call @ work on December 12th, letting me know that my newest grandson would make his appearance that evening, all schedules were out the door. But I now know that I can kick things into high gear and do a fine job!!

I got to my apartment about 4:30, literally threw a bunch of clothes into a couple of suitcases, left the cats 3 bowls of food, 3 bowls of water and 4 litter boxes (thankfully had picked up all their stuff the day before)and jumped back in my car for the trip to Fort Myers. I arrived at the hospital @ about 7:50 all in one piece....I promised the girls I would be careful but didn't promise not to speed. At 9:13 Zane was born into our family and what an absolutely adorable little boy. What a wonderful way to start my holiday season with my family.

Another highlight of the trip was being able to attend Kyle's Christmas program. He made us all so proud. He had the last speaking part of the day and he did a great job. We were able to spend a little time in the classrooms with the boys for their parties. Kyle and Todd learned a lot of Christmas carols and they especially love Jingle Bells and give an emphatic "Hey!" after the verses. There is nothing sweeter than listening to their little voices singing.

Todd's new goodnight routine is a hug and a kiss and then he grabs your face and plants one on your forehead. How cute is that? He is cathing up with his brother in weight but Kyle is getting really tall. They both are growing up so fast. Todd did let me rock him a couple of times on this trip........I was missing that. Now I also have Zane and he LOVES to rock.

There was so much fun during the 3 weeks I was in Fort Myers with my family it would be difficult to make note of everything. Festival of Lights @ the Edison home, Christmas dinner, boating, spending time with my grands (and their moms/dads),New Year's dinner(it was put together in a hurry and was delicious)and of course seeing DeAnn to have my hair done! I can't remember when I have enjoyed a holiday so much. And I came back feeling so good......I had forgotten how good it feels to feel good.

I am truly blessed..........

Cookie Exchange Weekend

2007-12-03T20:41:00.000-05:00

I love baking cookies this time of year but hate to do it alone. So, I volunteered to help Paige and Ashley bake some cookies for their cookie exchange this past Sunday.

Ashley decided to go with a good old Italian favorite....biscotti. The dough for this confection is not easy to put together, not to mention shelling pistachios. But we managed to get through the hard stuff. First challenge was having no parchment paper..so that was the first trip to Publix. All was fine and the first batch came out golden brown just like the recipe said and then we cooled for 30 minutes just as the recipe instructed but would that thing allow itself to be cut cleanly.....oh but no. Then there was the "almost fire" when one batch burned on the bottom. Did ya know that parchment paper should not be touching another pan or the side of the oven? I didn't until Saturday night. We finally called it a night @ 11:30 which meant we had to get up early Sunday and finish them up. And by the way the loaves cut smoothly when they are stone cold! Dip in chocolate and add the sprinkles and yum, yum.

Paige picked a really cool recipe for her cookies named "Boot Tracks". What a neat presentation. They look just like boot tracks with snow on them. Second trip to Publix........ for butter this time. Back from the butter run to find out that we need a non-Belgium waffle and Paige has only Belgium variety. So back in the car to go to Ashley's to borrow her waffle iron and back to Paige's. The girl who is supposed to be sitting down and taking it easy then proceeds to put together the batter while I hand her stuff. The batter has to be dropped by rounded teaspoon onto the waffle iron and only 4 could be baked at one time. It takes 1-2 minutes for them to cook which was a good thing because we ended up making 95 cookies. They were scrumptious....all chocolaty with a hint of coffee. Good stuff.

I got to sample the cookies without having a whole bunch of them sitting around to be munching on which is the greatest thing since I have vowed to try to not overdo this holiday season. Saving those calories for the eggnog that I do so love!

Giving Thanks!

2007-11-26T19:21:00.000-05:00

Where do I start? Thanksgiving holiday is family reunion time for my loved ones and our numbers just keep increasing every year. This year everyone was able to attend except Paige & Phil (expecting a baby in 3 weeks mol), Seth (visited his parents)and Daniel (had to work). GG'Daddy requested that we meet at the Fort D home this year and we did. At one time we had 32 people in the house and it was crowded to say the least.

Kyle & Todd accompanied me in the "wentel car" that I rented to accomodate all our luggage, car seats, heavy coats, etc. I got a lot of comments from the brothers-in- law about the "grandma car".....Mercury Marquis. It (the car) pretty much convinced me that I don't want one. Comfortable but not my style!

We arrived on Saturday afternoon, had a short visit with the GGs before bedtime. Attended church on Sunday and then went out to Aunt J's for the afternoon. Rode the Kubota back in the woods until dark. Kyle was fascinated with the deer tracks but we didn't find a deer. Got back to GG's, had dinner and a bath and Kyle told me "Pappi, I'm tired and want to go to bed".....what?!? That child has never told me he was ready for bed. Monday we went to Greenville with the GGs to Walmart and had lunch @ Cracker Barrel. Tuesday we went to Montgomery to see Aunt J @ her office. She was kind enough to take us to the flea market so that I could look for Fiestaware that I need. Wednesday we just hung out in Fort D as it was starting to get colder. Rode on the bug for a bit, pulled turnips, and picked up some pecans. Ashley & Kevin got to Fort D late in the afternoon.

Thursday was a busy day once the family started to arrive. Lunch was ready about 12:30 and there was such a feast. Everyone outdid themselves this year. BUT just about everything was gone by the time dinner was over that night. Callie's birthday was on Thanksgiving this year so we had a surprise party for her.I can't believe she is 11. The last of the family left about 9:30 and I went to bed and fell asleep immediately.

Friday we saw Ashley and Kevin off after lunch. They were meeting friends in Gainesville for the UF/FSU game. After naptime we took Callie and Gracie shopping in Montgomery to pick out some birthday duds. They found some cute stuff and we went over to the skating rink to watch the skaters and eat a snack before heading over to the zoo. We met the McCanns, TW & Ellen, Rick & Brooke 2, and the Busbys to take the train tour. What a great time we had. Kyle's favorite turned out to be the singing frogs. They were so cute, they jump up to the lily pads and sing Jingle Bells.

Saturday came all too quickly. We had to leave the GGs standing in the yard as we started our trip back to Florida. Stopped by Aunt J's on the way out of town to let the boys run around a few minutes. They were so good on the trip to Gainesville. Once we got to Gatorland we had dinner @ Steak & Shake and went to the hotel to have a bath and watch the remainder of the game.

We had breakfast on Sunday with Chris, Brent, Meagan & Chris, Steve and Casey and then I had to tell my little boys and their mom and dad goodbye. I miss those little guys after having them with me for a whole week. It's awfully quiet here in my "little house" and GG'mama says her house is just way too quiet.

I am thankful for my family and I hope we will always be as close as we are in 2007. I am thankful for my health and that of all my family. I am thankful that I have been blessed to still have my parents. I am thankful for my children and their children and that they allow me to share their lives in such a big way. God bless each and every one.

Almost Time for "Thanksgiving Christmas"

2007-11-15T19:54:00.000-05:00

Every year we gather back in Fort D to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas all in one day. This tradition started a lot of years ago when the Biagi kids were small. I missed seeing my family during the holiday season, but did not want to take our kids away from home and Santa @ Christmas, so we started visiting my home town every year for Thanksgiving. Slowly it evolved into everyone making it a priority to be "home" for this day. An impromptu family reunion.

Our family has grown with grands, their special significant others, and the great grands with which we are blessed. My Ed loved this time of celebration and had grown to love my family as his own. I think he looked more forward to this trip than any of the rest of us. Ed has been gone for almost 10 years. Sometimes it seems like yesterday and sometimes it feels like a hundred years. But one thing I know as sure as I am writing this post is that he lives on in spirit and will be smiling down on all of us again this year with joy in his heart.

Paige and PG will not make the trip this year but for the most special reason of all. The newest little family member will be born sometime in December and again our family grows. As far as I know everyone else will be at at GG's house for Turkey Day.

If there is one thing I have learned in living all the years I have under my belt (and no I will not tell how many if you don't know.....) is that nothing is more important in this life than family.

Weekend @ Home

2007-11-13T22:11:00.000-05:00

It is always nice to be able to spend time @ home (Quiet Water) and this past weekend was no exception. The weather was beautiful and there were no bugs. The driveway entrance is a mess right now but should be all finished by Thanksgiving. One more trip scheduled before the end of the year. The Tennessee folks start arriving the first week of January and will be in residence until the end of March.

Special treat for me was the final day of the Offshore Power Boat Race in KW. Didn't know until I got to KW on Sunday afternoon to do some shopping and saw the helicopters buzzing over the Hyatt. I was able to get a spot on the rail of one of the piers and got some good pictures. Would I ever like to take a ride in one of those boats just once! What a ride that would be.

It has been a wild Monday (on a Tuesday) today at work. Doncha know the rest of this week is going to be about the same. Any time I plan to on vacation for a few days it seems someone tells the gremlins and lots of overtime has to be done in order to take the scheduled vacation days. No matter I will be leaving early Saturday morning for Alabama with my two little guys in tow. I look forward to spending a few days with my family up there.

First Weekend of November

2007-11-05T19:44:00.001-05:00

The weekend was busy to say the least. Friday night Ashley and the boyz arrived @ about 10:00 pm and the fun began. After a few hello kisses and a snack we all got to bed so that we could be up early on Saturday for the Gator game in Gainesville.

We checked the weather forecast before we left which told us that the high in G'ville would be 73 degrees at game time. When we left Clearwater it was chilly outside so we thought the weather guessers were probably correct. Got the G'ville a couple of hours before game time (we never get there that close to kickoff so we ran into some traffic) and had some lunch at the Orange n Brew. Decided we should buy the little boys some new sweatshirts (for the chilly weather.....remember the forecast??) Then on to the stadium. We were in the sun for a good part of the afternoon so sweatshirts came off quickly. The Gators won and looked good doing it.

Grandpa Ed would have been proud of the little guys @ the game. Kyle used the "noculars" and followed the game play by play for the entire first half. Every time the Gators scored a touchdown he would high five us. Todd is a boy after Ed's heart (he who would never leave a game until the final whistle blew) When we suggested leaving at the beginning of the 4th quarter he told his mama "no, the game not over" I would say we have a couple of football fans on our hands.

Next day I got to spend time with the boys all day. Mama left early to get to FM for the JL Taste of the Town. We left around noon and got to the park, bought lots of tickets and spent most of them playing in the bounce house, on the slides and on ice cream cones. We found mama, daddy, Auntie Paige, and Uncle PG and visited just long enough to say hello then we were off and running. I didn't win the VW convertible .....Kyle had decided it was "cute" and wanted to ride in it... so we left and went home for dinner, bath, stories and bedtime for the boys. Pappi sat in the Queen Chair and put her feet up! Stopped by Paige & Phil's on the way out to say hi and bye.

My trip back to Clearwater was a challenge as there was another bad accident that closed I-75 North. Apparently pretty bad as I found out this morning that the road was still closed and would be until further notice. This is the second time this has happened when I am on the way back. All I have to say is that I am very fortunate that someone is looking out for me and that I was not traveling at the time either of these accidents happened. The detours add more time to the trip but at least when I get back on the interstate I can count myself lucky that I am still on my way home and was not involved in the mishaps.

All in all it was a great weekend. I decided this morning that I definitely must get back to gym. I have to work hard to stay in good enough shape to keep up with my little grands and with another on the way I need to work on that stamina.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2007-10-31T21:40:00.000-04:00

One thing I miss about no longer living in a home, in a neighborhood with lots of little munchkins, is that no one comes by to trick or treat on Halloween. The first year I was living in an apartment on Halloween I bought bags of candy that I think I still have in a cupboard here somewhere. I hid it well so that I don't eat it.

Halloween has always been one of my most favorite holidays and I think that is because of the kids. It's such a fun day/night as everyone is in a party mood. Even the kids at my office dress up on this special day. There were pirates, biker dudes and "cereal killers"running around everywhere today. And the night belongs to the little ones with lots of laughter and squeals of delight when they get a favorite candy for their goodie bag.

I look forward to seeing the pictures of my little grands all dressed up. My thoughts are with their mom and dad and the sugar high that I am sure has been reached this night. Oh well, Halloween comes around only one day out of 365 and it is so much fun to just have fun.

Tis the Season

2007-10-27T16:51:00.000-04:00

Seems like every spring and fall I get a full body attack from allergies or "alledries" as coined by my niece Gracie. The latest started a few days ago and this Saturday has been miserable with sneezing and a scratchy throat. The day has been somewhat overcast and rainy so I guess if I had to stay in today it's better there is no sunshine.

It's actually raining pretty much all over the state of Florida today. Probably won't be a thrill killer for Fantasy Fest and I hope the Gators are the ones who survive it in Jacksonville! Is there ever a Florida -Georgia game where it is not raining or just plain cold?

The cats who reside with me (Oreo & Shug) are happy that I am not traveling this weekend. If I am away more than 3 days anymore they "punish" me with "forgetting" how to use the litter box. Did spend a little time cleaning out cabinets and closets today as every once in a while I need to remember just exactly what is in there!!

Time to give this up and go the store for more Advil Cold-Sinus. That's the only thing that seems to make my symptoms subside.

My First Post

2007-10-23T20:34:00.000-04:00

I have decided to join the blogging community. I have found that blogs are a wonderful way to keep in touch with my family, both near and far.

Except for Quietwater, my favorite place to visit is Fort Myers and I found myself there this past weekend. Apparently, Paige is in the "nesting" phase of her pregnancy as she wanted to clean her house from top to bottom and do a little painting in Ziggy's bedroom and bath. Two days later her house is spic and span and she has new color on the chosen walls. Thank goodness Ashley was able to come over and cut in the paint. I can roll with the best of them but cutting in close to the ceilings, floors and anywhere else I can get paint on something I shouldn't is not my thing.

I got to spend some time with my precious grandboys. They are growing up so fast. Todd doesn't even want me to rock him anymore......"no night, night Pappi" and is now sleeping in a toddler bed. Kyle was watching me read the Keynoter on his mama's computer and asked me if one of the words was difficult......wow! Thinking he probably didn't know what that meant I asked him what the word 'difficult' means and he said it means it's not easy Pappi. He is 4 years old. Well, duh......