I had a great weekend this year for Memorial Day. On Friday, May 28, 2010 I left work, got picked up by my wonderful Cousins with whom I live & we drove up to Orlando for the weekend. We got there after 8 pm or so & walked over to the pool area. We stayed at Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando® Resort. It was luxurious!
We were in the first of 2 parks on Saturday which was Mom's 56th Birthday. It was sunny for a fair portion of the day, we did devolop clouds & rain for a while, then it cleared up again. My 1st ride experience was Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast™. We then saw Shrek 4-D™ as well. For those who don't know, 4-D means that not only do the seats move as the picture on screen moves, it's also a 3-D picture so you have to wear the glasses. Gopher was right when he cautioned me that my eyes will be fatigued. It was still fun. Next, we saw TWISTER...Ride It Out®, this was great plus it got us out of the rain as it had just started. The ride was thrilling. It takes place when they were ordering 8 coffees at the Drive-In & then they found out the Twister was just about their. They all had to hide in the big barn where the sign outside fell in. It was great.
They not only had the Drive-In screen far off in the background but also have something like a Giant Imax screen in the far background to show the lightning & then the Twister. It all felt like we were really outside. I was fascinated because they used some smoke to make a life like Twister in the "parking lot" to add to the effects. Great Ride. I recommend it.
I was able to accomplish another goal of mine which was to get some Cotton Candy because John got me some. The mysterious one they call the great Gopher was indeed generous.
We also saw a ride called Disaster!SM- A Major Motion Picture Ride...Starring YOU!
I got nominated to play the part of the guy who was in the rushing river in the movie :-)
I can't forget that we saw MEN IN BLACK™ Alien Attack™ & Revenge of the Mummy® 2 times.
The evening eventually wrapped up, I don't recall much after that ride, currently. We did have a beautiful dinner at Margaritaville & take the boat ride back to the Hotel to relax for the night. I recall being SO tired but I soon went to sleep. I decided to have a Chocolate Waffle Cone with chocolate chip sprinkles for a night cap. I had already been at the pool area checking in on Ariella & Krystal to be sure they were ok & of course they were playing Volleyball in the pool. Good Times.
The next day, we dressed in shorts to go on the water rides at the next park called Islands of Adventure. We really had alot of fun on those rides. I also had roller coaster rides. We started with Dr. Suess Landing, the portion of the park that makes you feel very clearly like you just stepped into a Dr. Suess book. I loved The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride!™. I also thought The Cat In The Hat™ was a cute ride too, I took Abigail on that one plus the first one. I rode MEN IN BLACK™ Alien Attack™ & The Simpsons Ride™ was fun too. I also got to go to the Dueling Dragons® The Chinese Dragon & The Hungarian Horntail. I rode both of those Roller Coasters & decided I was done. I had not really done that for over 12 years.
I recommend Jurassic Park River Adventure® & Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls® for fun splashes :-)
By the time I got to the Comic Strip area, I was getting tired. I waited for Aunt Lorna, Ariella, Krystal & Brandon so I could walk them from The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man®
No matter how you break it down, Universal Studios Orlando is really worth the visit.
Until next time :-)
Monday, May 31, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Baby Shower Success!
Today we had the Baby Shower for John Wesley Muggli lll.
It was a hit! Many members of the family from Andrea's side showed up to help with Celebrating.
As people showed up, some brought food to prepare & others had it done before arrival. It didn't matter since we all had a great time. Gifts & cards flowed in & love was more abundant than anything else present.
Aunt Bonne showed up as well, she lives in Venice, FL. with her daughter Brittany at this time.
It was my pleasure to show her lots of pictures of Family on different sides & ensure a complete tour of the home I am blessed enough to share with the family members who invited me to stay & live here for the time being.
We talked, laughed, got connected to Nick & Catalina via Skype on the Sony Playstation 3 & Brittany added me on Facebook.
I showed Bonne a photo of herself from High School. I don't know what year it is from but hope to figure it out sometime. I will see if I can get that & others scanned in on the computer sometime.
Tomorrow, May 23, 2010 is the 1st Birthday of Ellie May (Thorpe)?, daughter of Ryan Thorpe, Bonne Thorpe's only Son. He is living in Warroad, Mn.
Tomorrow is also the day everyone is celebrating Chelsea's Birthday, Sister of Brandon, in West Palm Beach, she will be turning 11 soon, if I remember correctly.
Until next post!
It was a hit! Many members of the family from Andrea's side showed up to help with Celebrating.
As people showed up, some brought food to prepare & others had it done before arrival. It didn't matter since we all had a great time. Gifts & cards flowed in & love was more abundant than anything else present.
Aunt Bonne showed up as well, she lives in Venice, FL. with her daughter Brittany at this time.
It was my pleasure to show her lots of pictures of Family on different sides & ensure a complete tour of the home I am blessed enough to share with the family members who invited me to stay & live here for the time being.
We talked, laughed, got connected to Nick & Catalina via Skype on the Sony Playstation 3 & Brittany added me on Facebook.
I showed Bonne a photo of herself from High School. I don't know what year it is from but hope to figure it out sometime. I will see if I can get that & others scanned in on the computer sometime.
Tomorrow, May 23, 2010 is the 1st Birthday of Ellie May (Thorpe)?, daughter of Ryan Thorpe, Bonne Thorpe's only Son. He is living in Warroad, Mn.
Tomorrow is also the day everyone is celebrating Chelsea's Birthday, Sister of Brandon, in West Palm Beach, she will be turning 11 soon, if I remember correctly.
Until next post!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Baby Shower Prep & other Moments
Yesterday, I finally submitted an Application to IRSC. That's Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, FL. I have stated for over a decade that I wanted to go back to school again but could not decide what to do. I am going for the Registered Nursing program. I may still look into the HealthCare Management which includes Nursing Admin with another school, just an extra option. I am already off to an interesting start. I tried to do my Application on the computer in the school but I got an error so I have to try again on the website from home. I have an e-mail with instructions from Tech Support, I'll sort it out there to start.
Meanwhile, we have spent some time today getting ready for the Baby Shower tomorrow which starts @ 2pm, right here at the house. I was not able to walk Belle Beans today but I can still try tomorrow. The trees outside got their watering, of course.
I am worried about the stipulation of my employer Liberty Medical. They have a strict policy that any applicant must have a full 7 years of Employment verified & that there has to be somebody, anybody they can talk to so that a particular company based in Ohio can do that. I really didn't make any real friends at that job. Part of the reason was due to a revolving door, as Telemarketing often is & also because I was interested in spending time looking for other work during my employment there. I have been notified more than once that they cannot locate anybody from that company & have even spoken to a Secretary in Iowa in the State Government. Nothing. I'm going to call the Better Business Bureau in Des Moines sometime to see if they were Registered with them.
I recall 1 lady I used to work with, her first name only. I am unable to get ahold of her so far. I am worried & I think if I cannot get her in touch with this company for Liberty Medical, I may not be able to keep this job. That would be really bad.
I have decided I am not going to Disney World in Orlando over the Memorial Day weekend with my Cousins because I need the money to go towards purchasing a car when I can. Maybe next time.
I am told Aunt Bonne will be here for the Baby Shower & she'll bring Brittany as well. I hope it's true, I can't wait to see them again.
As part of my Ecological Contributions, I am still working on reducing overall water usage but for now, I may have hit a plateau as I really only use the water for hydration & bathing as needed, dishes, laundry & watering the trees and plants to ensure they don't wilt & die. I realise it's not the prettiest thing but, let's face it, we do need to reduce flushing of our commodes as well. It saves water overall & I have already begun that.
As far as the plants go, we have a Fern plant outside that was not doing well. My cousin wants to have it pulled up but I bought some time to bring it back to health. It still doesn't look great but it's beginning to respond to the frequent waterings by displaying a new chute. I don't water the trees & plants everyday as it's a bit excessive. I always miss a day here & there. When I go back to work, the watering will be less frequent.
Yesterday, I was at Kmart in Fort Pierce after I had gotten done at the school & looked through the food section. I decided to look in the chips where I normally don't go & I found Creamy Dill Pickle flavoured chips. They were not Old Dutch brand but I was so happy to see them. I also found Ketchup flavour which I have not had since I used to visit in Canada over a decade ago.
Again, they are not Old Dutch but still good. I was amused.
Until next time!
Meanwhile, we have spent some time today getting ready for the Baby Shower tomorrow which starts @ 2pm, right here at the house. I was not able to walk Belle Beans today but I can still try tomorrow. The trees outside got their watering, of course.
I am worried about the stipulation of my employer Liberty Medical. They have a strict policy that any applicant must have a full 7 years of Employment verified & that there has to be somebody, anybody they can talk to so that a particular company based in Ohio can do that. I really didn't make any real friends at that job. Part of the reason was due to a revolving door, as Telemarketing often is & also because I was interested in spending time looking for other work during my employment there. I have been notified more than once that they cannot locate anybody from that company & have even spoken to a Secretary in Iowa in the State Government. Nothing. I'm going to call the Better Business Bureau in Des Moines sometime to see if they were Registered with them.
I recall 1 lady I used to work with, her first name only. I am unable to get ahold of her so far. I am worried & I think if I cannot get her in touch with this company for Liberty Medical, I may not be able to keep this job. That would be really bad.
I have decided I am not going to Disney World in Orlando over the Memorial Day weekend with my Cousins because I need the money to go towards purchasing a car when I can. Maybe next time.
I am told Aunt Bonne will be here for the Baby Shower & she'll bring Brittany as well. I hope it's true, I can't wait to see them again.
As part of my Ecological Contributions, I am still working on reducing overall water usage but for now, I may have hit a plateau as I really only use the water for hydration & bathing as needed, dishes, laundry & watering the trees and plants to ensure they don't wilt & die. I realise it's not the prettiest thing but, let's face it, we do need to reduce flushing of our commodes as well. It saves water overall & I have already begun that.
As far as the plants go, we have a Fern plant outside that was not doing well. My cousin wants to have it pulled up but I bought some time to bring it back to health. It still doesn't look great but it's beginning to respond to the frequent waterings by displaying a new chute. I don't water the trees & plants everyday as it's a bit excessive. I always miss a day here & there. When I go back to work, the watering will be less frequent.
Yesterday, I was at Kmart in Fort Pierce after I had gotten done at the school & looked through the food section. I decided to look in the chips where I normally don't go & I found Creamy Dill Pickle flavoured chips. They were not Old Dutch brand but I was so happy to see them. I also found Ketchup flavour which I have not had since I used to visit in Canada over a decade ago.
Again, they are not Old Dutch but still good. I was amused.
Until next time!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Simple Days
Lately, with my time off between jobs, I have had lots of time around the house to myself.
It's quiet during the day because Abigail is at School, she attends the Colonial Country Day School is what I think it's called & cousins are at work. I usually clean up the kitchen & house in general, so they don't have to & I keep up on my chores. I do laundry & I try to keep my room in order. It's more work & more challenges than the last place I lived in but so worth it.
I also enjoy watering the plants & trees in the backyard. I don't do that everyday since it's not necessary, but I will most days depending on precipitation.
As I do that, I try to ponder what green things I can do to improve the reduction of my carbon footprint. I have started using less water for dishes & have gotten back into recycling since Port St. Lucie does that.
I want to help out with getting the rain barrels Andrea wants to attach to the gutters after they get installed but that is something a bit down the road yet. I have reduced how much paper I use including for hygiene purposes & it's just fine. I use products that are recycled as much as I can find them & also want items to be compostable. The bags they use for Sun Chips are 100% compostable & are fully degraded in approximately 13 weeks. I plan to buy a bag soon & compost it so I can see just what happens. I'll make notes of my weekly observations when I do.
I also use less energy. I keep the TV's in the house turned off when I am not using them, all lights & electronics remain off during the hours no one is home if they are not being used.
The power usage goes up when everyone is here, understandably.
I no longer use any kind of incandescent lights myself, however, 2 remain in the bathroom I use. They will be replaced after they burn out. No sense in wasting them.
I feel good & bad about switching over to CFL's. Since I know that they contain Mercury & have to be sent away for special handling to be recycled safely, I decided I want LED lights anywhere I can install them. They are even more energy efficient, last far longer & need no special care to be recycled.
If you ever drop & break a CFL, try to get away from it immediately before it breaks. Find anything you can to place over your face. A breathing mask of any kind helps. If you suspect there is any Mercury on your clothes, you will need to place them in a plastic bag & bring them to a facility to be taken care of. If it's one of your favourite outfits, kiss it goodbye. Next, you will need to bring another plastic bag & good masking tape with you to clean up the mess. Wearing sturdy rubber gloves, use the sticky side of the tape to pick up all of the glass pieces & Mercury powder from the surface which it contaminated. All debris must be contained & brought to the facility to be disposed of, in order to be Environmentally safe. Disposal of these light bulbs into the standard trash will allow Mercury to enter the ground contaminating soil & water.
All of this is not worth it to have CFL's. I'll pay the higher price for LED's, if they need to charge it.
Until next time, have a Green week. :-)
It's quiet during the day because Abigail is at School, she attends the Colonial Country Day School is what I think it's called & cousins are at work. I usually clean up the kitchen & house in general, so they don't have to & I keep up on my chores. I do laundry & I try to keep my room in order. It's more work & more challenges than the last place I lived in but so worth it.
I also enjoy watering the plants & trees in the backyard. I don't do that everyday since it's not necessary, but I will most days depending on precipitation.
As I do that, I try to ponder what green things I can do to improve the reduction of my carbon footprint. I have started using less water for dishes & have gotten back into recycling since Port St. Lucie does that.
I want to help out with getting the rain barrels Andrea wants to attach to the gutters after they get installed but that is something a bit down the road yet. I have reduced how much paper I use including for hygiene purposes & it's just fine. I use products that are recycled as much as I can find them & also want items to be compostable. The bags they use for Sun Chips are 100% compostable & are fully degraded in approximately 13 weeks. I plan to buy a bag soon & compost it so I can see just what happens. I'll make notes of my weekly observations when I do.
I also use less energy. I keep the TV's in the house turned off when I am not using them, all lights & electronics remain off during the hours no one is home if they are not being used.
The power usage goes up when everyone is here, understandably.
I no longer use any kind of incandescent lights myself, however, 2 remain in the bathroom I use. They will be replaced after they burn out. No sense in wasting them.
I feel good & bad about switching over to CFL's. Since I know that they contain Mercury & have to be sent away for special handling to be recycled safely, I decided I want LED lights anywhere I can install them. They are even more energy efficient, last far longer & need no special care to be recycled.
If you ever drop & break a CFL, try to get away from it immediately before it breaks. Find anything you can to place over your face. A breathing mask of any kind helps. If you suspect there is any Mercury on your clothes, you will need to place them in a plastic bag & bring them to a facility to be taken care of. If it's one of your favourite outfits, kiss it goodbye. Next, you will need to bring another plastic bag & good masking tape with you to clean up the mess. Wearing sturdy rubber gloves, use the sticky side of the tape to pick up all of the glass pieces & Mercury powder from the surface which it contaminated. All debris must be contained & brought to the facility to be disposed of, in order to be Environmentally safe. Disposal of these light bulbs into the standard trash will allow Mercury to enter the ground contaminating soil & water.
All of this is not worth it to have CFL's. I'll pay the higher price for LED's, if they need to charge it.
Until next time, have a Green week. :-)
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Gardening for your Heart & Soul
I was helping my Cousins with yard work today & cleaning up weeds which had been pulled up from the little flower gardens they have in front & back of their house. We also placed new fresh Red Cedar Mulch in the flower beds to give them a little something extra. We also placed the mulch around the Guava tree, Gardenia tree & Banana trees. I looked around after we finished & realised it looked beautiful & that it gives you a peaceful, happy feeling to accomplish this.
Gardening is also an artform, as most people know.
I decided that, in life, we may wish to treat ourselves as a Garden. It's something that is done carefully to ensure beauty & quality. Gardening is great for your mind & soul. There are weeds that have to be pulled to ensure preservation & growth of good things such as positivity in all aspects of your life.
One's entire life is like a Garden. Sometimes, there are weeds that cannot be removed, in this case however. It's very sad but so true.
Some folks will understand this, others .... not so much.
It's just important to think about ALL of the things you do in any given day at any given moment.
It's surprising how fast one bad decision or a series of them can haunt you & ruin your life, permanently. I find that the constant road blocks are a often a great challenge. Certain types of difficulties can appear to defeat you at every turn. Even so, I have realised that there is no point in being defeatist when you can simply move on. People have to realise that since your life is unrepeatable, be sure you don't make any serious mistakes that you will regret forever.
The little Gardens around the house look beautiful since they are tended to.
In other news, today is the Wedding of my Cousin Diana Spivey & her fiancée Mark Gass.
They are to be wed at 5 pm in Melcher, Iowa. I only wish I could attend, but for several reasons, I am unable to attend, regrettably. I am there in Spirit & was able to send a nice card w/money to ensure my best wishes are known.
We have been keeping in touch with Nick & Catalina. They are living in Santiago de Chile, South America, for those who don't yet know this.
They survived the earthquakes that hit back in February. They had 1 of a set of 2 Wedding Glasses broken & everything else is good.
They are planning to move to Toronto, Ontario, Canada in approx. 18-20 months, depending on how long the Immigration process takes as well as paperwork. They have extended me an offer to move there with them, however, I feel Immigration Canada may refuse me the priviledge.
This past Saturday, May 8, 2010 was the First Communion of Ariella Ottar, Daughter of Kevin Ottar & Melanie Robinson. It was held at a local Catholic Church called St. Anne Seton close by the house here in Port St. Lucie, FL.
The next day, we went out to dinner for Mother's Day at Pirate's Cove Marina & Resort as mentioned in a previous post. We all had a great time.
Today, after Gardening, we have been setting up some items in preparation for the Baby Shower next weekend on May 22, 2010 for John Wesley Muggli lll. His due date is set for July 10, 2010. We can't wait!
Gardening is also an artform, as most people know.
I decided that, in life, we may wish to treat ourselves as a Garden. It's something that is done carefully to ensure beauty & quality. Gardening is great for your mind & soul. There are weeds that have to be pulled to ensure preservation & growth of good things such as positivity in all aspects of your life.
One's entire life is like a Garden. Sometimes, there are weeds that cannot be removed, in this case however. It's very sad but so true.
Some folks will understand this, others .... not so much.
It's just important to think about ALL of the things you do in any given day at any given moment.
It's surprising how fast one bad decision or a series of them can haunt you & ruin your life, permanently. I find that the constant road blocks are a often a great challenge. Certain types of difficulties can appear to defeat you at every turn. Even so, I have realised that there is no point in being defeatist when you can simply move on. People have to realise that since your life is unrepeatable, be sure you don't make any serious mistakes that you will regret forever.
The little Gardens around the house look beautiful since they are tended to.
In other news, today is the Wedding of my Cousin Diana Spivey & her fiancée Mark Gass.
They are to be wed at 5 pm in Melcher, Iowa. I only wish I could attend, but for several reasons, I am unable to attend, regrettably. I am there in Spirit & was able to send a nice card w/money to ensure my best wishes are known.
We have been keeping in touch with Nick & Catalina. They are living in Santiago de Chile, South America, for those who don't yet know this.
They survived the earthquakes that hit back in February. They had 1 of a set of 2 Wedding Glasses broken & everything else is good.
They are planning to move to Toronto, Ontario, Canada in approx. 18-20 months, depending on how long the Immigration process takes as well as paperwork. They have extended me an offer to move there with them, however, I feel Immigration Canada may refuse me the priviledge.
This past Saturday, May 8, 2010 was the First Communion of Ariella Ottar, Daughter of Kevin Ottar & Melanie Robinson. It was held at a local Catholic Church called St. Anne Seton close by the house here in Port St. Lucie, FL.
The next day, we went out to dinner for Mother's Day at Pirate's Cove Marina & Resort as mentioned in a previous post. We all had a great time.
Today, after Gardening, we have been setting up some items in preparation for the Baby Shower next weekend on May 22, 2010 for John Wesley Muggli lll. His due date is set for July 10, 2010. We can't wait!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Mother's Day 2010
Today turned out to be a great day. It was very sunny and Hot.
I was thrilled to be with the Family all day & we went out to a really nice dinner as well.
We went to the Pirate's Cove Resort & Marina in Salerno, Fl.
Needless to say we all had a great time & I got some nice pictures from there as well.
So, to all the Moms out there, know that my opinion is very firm in the adage that Everyday is Mother's Day :-)
I was thrilled to be with the Family all day & we went out to a really nice dinner as well.
We went to the Pirate's Cove Resort & Marina in Salerno, Fl.
Needless to say we all had a great time & I got some nice pictures from there as well.
So, to all the Moms out there, know that my opinion is very firm in the adage that Everyday is Mother's Day :-)
Monday, May 3, 2010
Running with the Dog in your Pajamas
Yeah, today it is very sunny out & so I thought I would WALK Bella today.
I got out her leash & she saw it, despite my efforts to hide it or she just knew it since Dogs tend to have an innate sense of the world around them and what their humans are doing.
She got all excited about it so I finished making a burger for lunch and set it aside in the microwave to come back to it.
I grabbed the leash, she jumped and celebrated in excitement as I tried to put the leash on her.
That took a minute or so. Upon completion of this task, she proceeded to run to the door which was close. I opened the door and grabbed onto the leash for dear life. We then started out in a jog and then I found myself running in the bright sunlight, down the road in my pajamas!
So, there you have it. Bella took me on a run in pajamas for the whole neighbourhood to see today. Hilarious Indeed.
Until next time, remember that you haven't really lived until you have gone running with the Dog in Pajama pants and a T-Shirt :-)
I got out her leash & she saw it, despite my efforts to hide it or she just knew it since Dogs tend to have an innate sense of the world around them and what their humans are doing.
She got all excited about it so I finished making a burger for lunch and set it aside in the microwave to come back to it.
I grabbed the leash, she jumped and celebrated in excitement as I tried to put the leash on her.
That took a minute or so. Upon completion of this task, she proceeded to run to the door which was close. I opened the door and grabbed onto the leash for dear life. We then started out in a jog and then I found myself running in the bright sunlight, down the road in my pajamas!
So, there you have it. Bella took me on a run in pajamas for the whole neighbourhood to see today. Hilarious Indeed.
Until next time, remember that you haven't really lived until you have gone running with the Dog in Pajama pants and a T-Shirt :-)
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