Florida Winter

We are really getting into the great Florida winter weather now. I think tomorrow the temperature is supposed to be in the mid 60's. For me this is excellent weather. I love love love the winters in Florida. I hate hate hate the summers in Florida. But now that we are in my love season. I will be a much happier person. I like the weather to be cooler. I can always put more clothing on if I am cold. But when you are hot you can only legally take so much clothing off without winding up in jail. I have no desire to go to jail. I do not look good in orange jump suits. So as I have said just give me the winters here in Florida.

Last winter however we were living in Pennsylvania and I have to say it was a bit too much there for me. We had a total of almost 8 feet of snow during the winter. I don't care if I ever see snow again to be honest. I had more than my fill of it up there.

What to wear

When we moved to Haiti as Missionaries I was very happy to discover that the missionaries we were going to be working and living with would allow me to wear scrubs during the week and not have to wear a dress or skirt all of the time. It was so much more comfortable working all day long wearing pants and not a skirt.

I do have to say one of my qualifications for my scrubs was that they all had to be cotton scrubs. If you have never been to the Nation of Haiti let me tell you it is hot there all year round. Their winter is still hotter than a Florida summer. My next qualification was I needed to find discounted scrubs. I purchased about 20 pairs of scrubs so that I would have plenty in case I was not able to do laundry as frequently as here in the US. Which was a very good thing since I had to do our laundry by hand and then hang it on a line to dry. Everything smelled very good and fresh but it was a chore to say the least.

I actually enjoyed wearing my scrubs everyday. They were cooler and more comfortable than wearing skirts or dresses and much more modest when you were working in a hot warehouse sorting medicines or working in a clinic out under the hot Haiti sun.

So many things

I cannot believe all of the things we need to do in order to move.

1. Transfer Electric
2. Transfer Water
3. Transfer Satellite
4. Transfer Internet
5. Get Gas for House
6. Notify out of town family of new address
7. Rent Truck
8. Pack (not all done yet)
9. Oh yeah physically do the moving

I am sure there is something in there that I have forgotten to do and will discover when we get to the new residence that something was not done and we will be without it for the weekend.

Stormy Weather

We have some very good missionary friends of ours who when they are not living in Haiti have a home in Texas. They were very happy this last Hurricane season that they did not have any storms go through Texas. To say they have had their share of big storms there would be putting it mildly to say the least. In past years they have had so much home flood damage they could have just about turned their home into an above ground swimming pool. Donna called me after one of their many storms to ask me if I knew how to fix water damaged wood? I was sorry to say I did not have any knowledge of what to do. I am very thankful that I have never had to deal with these issues. We live in Florida and have had our share of Hurricanes but thank God have never had any major damage such as what they have been through with their home. Fortunately for Eldon and Donna they had good insurance coverage on their home and were able to file an insurance claim for water damage and have always been able to get their home back in as good as new condition. But I would have to think that it would take a toll on you emotionally and physically going through the process time and time again.

All I can do for them is during the hurricane season is pray that the storms just stay out to sea or even better yet that they don't ever form. I have always had a problem with prying that the storms go another direction because I would never wish a hurricane on my worst enemy. Having gone through three hurricanes ourselves in one season. We had no damage to our home but the emotional strain was rough to say the least.

Just shoot me now

We are moving this week. As a matter of fact we got the keys to our house yesterday. So today we start the moving process. We are not prepared to be moving, as almost nothing has been packed for the move. It will be my two daughters and myself doing all of the moving. Have I said I am getting way to old for this stuff. Well since I didn't just let me say I am getting way to old for this stuff. I hate moving in the first place and then to not be ready in the second place. Well just let me say I would rather someone just shoot me and put me out of my misery. But since I don't really think I am going to get anyone to take me up on the shooting me request. I guess I will dig out my tennis shoes and get myself busy shortly and hopefully by this time Friday morning I will be back at work and will have left from the new residence and will have been able to find my clothes for work. But in case none of that happens I just don't know where I will be or what I will be doing. So think good thoughts for me.

Tampa Bay Lighting Keeping Florida Cool With Great Hockey

Guest post from: Issac Bird

Taking vacation from time to time I tried to take in sporting events. On a trip to Florida I thought Hockey in a warm venue is this crazy? What I was in store for was something I never expected. I was able to attend a Tampa Bay Lighting game which was something that was really exciting for me. I am not the biggest NHL Hockey fan, but after the experience I was hooked on the sport.

Like most I had this perception hockey was a sport with plenty of fighting and nothing else. I was pleasantly surprised when I attend the Tampa Bay Lighting game. I saw some very talented players who could skate and do some amazing things on the ice. Watching hockey in a warm weather state is much different than a cold weather state that is for sure. The one thing that does not change though is the passion for the sport that NHL Hockey fans have.

Tampa Bay Lighting fans love their team and they show up every night to watch them. I have become a fan as well and watch the games I cannot attend on satellite tv from http://www.directstartv.com. This way I can keep up with the Lighting and some of my favorite players. Without a doubt Vinny Lecavalier is one of my favorite players on the Lighting. Just watching how hard he plays he gives it all every night. You cannot ask any more than that from a player.

Moving Day

This week is going to be moving day for our family. We have found a bigger house for all of our family. Our household consists of, my two adult daughters, three grandchildren, my husband and myself. We have decided that for this time it is a good thing for all of us to live together and assist with each other. It is working for us so far and we have committed to this arrangement for the next year. Things will be better for us in the new house since we will have more room than we have here where we are currently living. So I really think that things will be pretty good for us all.

Business as usual

My daughter has been thinking for a long time about starting her own catering business. It is something that she has really had a passion for. She is a very good cook if I must say so myself. She is right now in the list making stage of starting up a new business. She know of course that she will need her business license to start with. Then she will need all of the physical items that one would need to have a catering business. She will need a good location, plus anything and everything that one need in order to cook with. Much like at home but on a much grander scale of course.

Then the thought came to her that you can be a great cook and have a great location but if nobody know about you then you are pretty much already out of business. So she has decided that She will need to hire an Advertising Agency to bring the proper attention to her new business venture. She has actually come to the conclusion that unless people know who you are, where you are and what you do and to be honest how well you can do it then the best business is nothing more than a lemonade stand in your front yard. So now she is in the process of researching Advertising Agencies to find that perfect fit between the Agency and her for her new business. So to my daughter I wish the best and look forward to trying all of the new recipes she has been collecting.

Happy thaksgiving

I cannot believe that tomorrow is actually going to be Thanksgiving Day and then not to mention that we are only 24 days from Christmas. To say I am not ready for either holiday would be a vast understatement to say the least. I have not gotten anything purchased for dinner for tomorrow and lets just say have not even given a fleeting thought to what I want to get anyone for Christmas gifts.

I have to work tomorrow on Thanksgiving Day. I am not extremely happy about that event since I have never worked where I was required to work on a holiday in my working life but then again I never worked at a restaurant where I was expected to work. My one daughter works there too so at least we will both be working together tomorrow and my other daughter and husband will be home getting the diner ready for us to consume when we get home from work. So should be an interesting day tomorrow.

So if I don't see you or talk to you before tomorrow then have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Bowling in a league

Post contributed by Josue Durham

Have you ever wondered why humans are so enamored with professional sports? We buy television sports packages so that we won't miss our favorite teams, we plan entire trips around attending a professional sporting event, we buy team apparell and spend the entire week looking forward to weekend rivalries. It's all about the thrill of the competition, and competition is not lacking in adult sports leagues.

I joined a bowling league not too long ago, and love every minute of it. It's fun, it's exciting -- there is always an opportunity to beat a rival and experience the sweet taste of victory. People may think that bowling is boring, that it isn't a real sport, and I beg to differ. Bowling is about independence; it's just you and the pins. You are in control of your own destiny, win or lose. You can perfect your game and encourage your teammates, revel in your successes and build upon the experience of your defeats. When I set myAllHomeSecurity home security alarm and leave the house for a tournament, I know it's going to be a good night, no matter the outcome.

Adults sports leagues offer the same excitement as watching professional athletic events, but you get to be in control. It's an event for the die-hard fans that are trying to make it big, even in the little leagues.

Turkey

Well we went to the store this evening and had them put a turkey back for us. What they will do is put our turkey into their cooler and we go pick it up on Wednesday all thawed out for us. This is great for our family since we don't have room in our refrigerator for a turkey for several days. We were going to get a smaller turkey this year but since the store had such a good price on them we decided to get a bigger one. By bigger I mean we got almost a 29 pound turkey. But in addition to our family we have some other people coming here for dinner so we want to be sure that we have plenty of food on hand.

We will be going to the store on Wednesday to get everything else we are going to need for our dinner. I will be glad to be spending Thanksgiving with our daughters and our grandchildren. Last year we were not here with our family and I have to say that was a big bummer to say the least. So this year we are all going to be together and thankful if it kills me.

Holiday Time

I guess I have to say I have mixed emotions about the Holiday season. In some ways I enjoy and look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. But in other ways I seem to get depressed somewhat during the holiday's. I don't know if it has to do with both of my parents not being here anymore. They were both really big on the holidays especially Christmas. But for the last few years money has been very tight at Christmas and although we have given our girls and grandchildren Christmas, my husband and I have not given each other gifts. Last year we were in a very small apartment all alone and had no one to spend the holidays with and to say it was depressing would be a big understatement to say the least. So in many ways I would just like to go to sleep and wake up after the Holiday's are all over and life is back to somewhat a normal state.

We are all getting ready to move to another home in a couple of weeks and I am hoping that maybe I will be able to get my Christmas decorations out and maybe get myself in the holiday spirit. But just not sure about it at all.

Flying home for thanksgiving

Guest post written by Bethany Harrington

No matter how much I enjoy living and working in New York right now, it just still isn't like home. So I'm flying home to spend Thanksgiving with my family. I know that it's going to be a nightmare to do, but it will be worth waiting around in airport lines and likely delays to visit with my family.

I booked the tickets a long time ago, but just looked about last week to see what the weather would be like. Let's just say it will be a lot warmer at home, which will be really nice. When I was doing that I saw some info about a wireless internet company and decided to click now and get it in my apartment.

I'm really looking forward to this traditional Thanksgiving and plan on eating my weight in dressing and pumpkin pie and then doing some online shopping the day afterward. I plan on relaxing a whole lot and driving instead of walking anywhere that I need to go. It will be a nice break from the hustle and bustle right before the Christmas tourism season.

It's A Boy

We had a baby shower today at work for one of the girls who is expecting her first baby the first part of December. I was really surprised at how well it went. She had a car full of gifts when she left. It took all of us to carry everything out to her car and there was just enough room for her to get in and drive home with all of her loot.

I guess I was most pleased with the guys that work there because a few of them came through with really good gifts for her. You just don't expect guys to come through like that especially young single guys. But they did a great job and she was very excited and happy with everything that she received.

the NBA season is here

Thanks for the article from Glenda Hanson

Now is the time for the baseball season to end, and the basketball season to start. This is where the stars of the hardwood come out to shine. This is where the defending champions Los Angeles Lakers begin to start the defense of their title.

Kobe Bryant is one of the league's best players of all time. He is a sure fire Hall of Famer. He has been with the Lakers for his entire NBA career and is one of the greatest Laker players of all time.

LeBron James made his historic jump from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat this offseason setting off a spark of controversy in doing so. In going to the Heat, James teams up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh making the Heat a potential NBA title contender. This has left some bad feelings for the Cavalier fans who have spent many seasons hoping for a title to come to Cleveland.

The Celtics are still a powerhouse as well boasting a number of All-Stars on their roster including the Diesel, who is none other than Shaq Daddy himself.

This is going to be another great NBA season. I watch NBA Preseason Basketball on satellite tv that I got after looking at this comparison of directv vs cable packages.

Beautiful Weather

I have to say we have finally arrived at a good season in central Florida. We are now into the cooler weather. right now the temperature here is 74 degrees. Now at 4:30 in the afternoon I am here to tell you I can deal with that temperature. This is much different than during the summer when it was near 100 degrees and you could not stand to be outside for a few minutes let alone for hours. We will have nice weather until probably March or April then it will start getting warm again. I think I am going to enjoy this winter much more than I did last winter. Last winter we were living in Pennsylvania and it was so cold and we had close to a total of 10 inches of snow during the winter. I have had my fill of snow I don't care if I ever see snow again. But just in case I took lots of pictures of the snows so if I get a desire to see it I will just look at my pictures and go stand in front of the freezer and hopefully that will get it out of my system again.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport

This guest post from Efren Gill

My family loves animals. Our house can feel like a zoo at times with the birds flying overhead and the dogs and cats underfoot. We used to have a freshwater fish tank, but I gave it to my mom to help alleviate some stress she was having. We miss our fish tank and plan on replacing it soon with a saltwater tank. Until we do, though, we visit the fish at the aquarium.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport boasts many fascinating exhibits. There is no way to see and enjoy all of them in one day without rushing through the place, so we have to plan our adventure before leaving the house. With three kids who can't agree on what they want to see the most, it could become a hassle if we didn't. After we decide on an itinerary for the day, we gather our belongings, and head to the car, making sure to set our home security system from www.securitychoice.com on the way out.

Even though the kids (and the adults) may not get to see their favorite exhibit on every visit, we all have the best time. I think this is a family tradition that will continue even after we get the saltwater tank for our house.

Facebook

I have been on Facebook for quite a while now. But recently my grandson Nate talked me into starting a Farm on Farmville. I originally said I would do it just so the rest of the family could have an extra neighbor and could use my farm to send themselves gifts from my so called farm. Well I have to say I am really enjoying having the farm and working and playing with it. I have added several neighbors who I do not know and some of them live overseas, which I think is really cool. I have discovered it is a great way to make new Facebook friends and chat with people in other countries and learn new things as I go. So I am now a very happy farmer.

Daily Grind

I have the morning off but have to be at work at 1:45 today. The really bad news is that I have to train a couple of new cashiers today. That means for me that I do the job today and they both just stand there and me do it. As I am doing my said job I also have to explain it step by step to them as I go. So basically what I am saying is that today really ought to be a hoot for me. One of the people I am training is a new hire and one of them is transferring from another position in the company. The transfer is a person that I am not very fond of to say the least. This person was very rude to me in her former position and now here she is wanting to learn how to do my job and I am the one to teach it to her. I am just saying that be careful who you are rude cause just always remember Carma is a Bitch.

Furniture Shopping with Mom

The article written by Adrian Hickman

Tomorrow I'll be going furniture shopping with my mother, to pick out some pieces for my new apartment. It should be a long day, as we'll be choosing living room furniture such as a couch, loveseat, and coffee table, as well as a dining room table set. I also need to pick out a bedframe and mattress, comforter set, and a wardrobe or dresser for my bedroom. After we pick out these things, it'll be time to pick out all of the smaller housewares items, such as kitchen appliances and other decorative accessories for the apartment.

I'm looking forward to seeing what's available, as I've been waiting to get new furniture for awhile. Most of the furniture I currently have is showing some distinct wear and tear, as I've had it since college. It will be great to finally get some pieces that are in a modern style, of higher quality, and that will match the decor of my new place. I'll be spending a lot of time shopping, to make sure I get the best deals on everything!

After we finish up shopping, we'll probably head home to watch some satellite tv through my directv hd dvr, and to rest up for moving day. The weekend will be filled with lots of trips back and forth, as I'm moving everything in my two-door car, to save on rental costs.

Quiet evening

Having a quiet evening at home after a busy day. Just had hot chocolate and pumpkin cheesecake delivered to me. Which I might say the cheese cake was an invention of Joy's and it is quite good. She has come upon something good. Plus the hot chocolate hits the spot since it is a cool night out and we have the window open.

The kids had the cheese cake and Red Velvet Chocolate Milk. Guess it is a holiday flavor for the season.

Watching High Drama on the Oil Rig

The Author of this post is Alva Barrera

You have heard of gold, but do you know what black gold is? If you took a moment to think about it, you could probably figure it out. Here's a hint: we use it for almost everything. Most people think it's just used for cars and lawn mowers, but that's not the case at all. Black gold, which is oil, can be found in many products in your home. The point here is that oil is very important. This means the stakes are extremely high when people are drilling for oil. And when stakes are high, tensions will rise. This is what the show Black Gold is all about. But it's not really about the big boys risking millions of dollars. They might be shown from time to time, but this show is about the roughnecks. These are the guys who work for close to nothing and risk their lives daily. If one mistake is made, someone may die. Trips to the emergency room are frequent.

The best part about the show is the drama that takes place on the rig. These guys are battling to keep their jobs. They know that striking oil could mean job security and more money. They also know that failure to strike oil might mean the loss of a job and nowhere to go. This leads to high drama, and sometimes even fisticuffs. Since I love drama as long as I'm not involved in it, I'm sure to watch Black Gold on Free on Demand on satellite tv from tvbydirect whenever I get the chance.

New things

I just set up an App so that I can blog from my IPod. I sure hope I never need to use this App to tell my life story. Cause it could take a while. But I can get the job done which is a good thing to know for future reference.

Let em eat cake

Tomorrow is the pancake breakfast at my grandson's school to raise money for the school band. To say he is wired up and all excited about it would be a vast understatement. This is his first year in a school band. He is playing the trumpet this year. So tomorrow morning we will be the partakers of pancakes, sausage, orange juice and coffee. So just hope the pancake maker really knows how to make a good pancake cause I am ready to eat a bunch.

A Night on the Town

A Night on the Town

Thanks for the post from Wilbert Berg

Going to the theatre is an entertaining activity that can last an entire evening. Finding a fellow theatre buff, I need to look no further than the person with whom I reside. My husband and I find that planning the evening out is just as much fun as actually going. We usually begin planning the show in advance.

The Theatre District in New York City can fulfill most needs with the variety of offerings. We prefer the shows filled with mystery, such as Phantom of the Opera, or shows with magnificent color and music, like The Lion King.

Upon deciding on a show, we can now look forward to planning dinner. We would much rather eat before the show than after. Where there is such a vast variety of restaurants to choose from we decide on the type of cuisine first. Over pre-dinner cocktails at home, we usually opt for Italian, Chinese or an all American steakhouse.

If we are feeling particularly adventurous, we may just throw in limosine service, as yet, another way to feel upscale. At last we are ready for the evening. All important decisions have been made. One last ritual needs tending as we head out. Turn off the lights and set the home security alarm from securitychoice.com!

I have good news.....

I have grown to hate the statement Good News. Because you know most of the time it is going to be followed by I also have Bad News too. Lately the bad news seems to outweigh the good news. I really wish just once we could have just some Good News. We thought this week that our time had come but yep that is right the Bad News Bomb was dropped on us big time. I just don't know if we are going to get out from under this bad news bomb this time. If we don't then I have no idea what we are going to do.

Strike Three

I remember as a kid my Dad used to take us to St. Louis several times during baseball season to watch the St. Louis Cardinals pay ball. There was no huge Busch Stadium there at that time but you would have never known it the way our family acted. It is one of the best memories I have of my childhood. It was one of the few things my family did together as a family. The one place I would have loved to have seen a game played was Wrigley Field we never made it there but I know we would have had a great time if we had. I do believe that before my sisters and I were born that you can bet my Dad made it to several of the ball parks. For some reason my Dad just had a love for baseball. I do know that he would love the new arenas such as the brand new Amway Arena. I have not been there myself but have friends who went to the opening and were able to tour it and they say it is just awesome to say the least. Daddy did say something once about seeing a great game at Yankee Stadium. My girls did go see Camden Yard once well ok just from the outside but they do have pictures to prove there were there.

I think of all of the baseball stories I remember from my Dad was before my sisters and I were on the scene and he and Mother went to a ball game and there was a foul ball which came in their direction. But before my parents could even react to it the ball hit the lady in the head in front of my Mother and actually knocked her out. The the ball bounced back and landed right in my Mothers lap. The poor lady was there in her seat out like a light and her husband was standing over her and was fighting with my Mom for the stupid baseball. Well my Mother won that fight because I saw that baseball all of my childhood and heard the story a thousand times at least. So all I have to say about that is Take Me Out to the Ballgame Take me out to the Field.

Day by day

I have decided that I will no longer worry about what is going to happen to me tomorrow or the tomorrow after that or for that fact any of my tomorrows. I have to take care of today and do what is necessary for today. I have always been the type of individual who tries to take care of my life may days, weeks, months and yes even years ahead. I don't want to do that anymore. I know they say you can't teach old dogs new tricks but this "old dog" is going to try to teach herself some new tricks.

I know I still need to make plans and work for things for the future but to sit and worry about them every day is just not doing me any good and it is not accomplishing anything at all. So her it is the new leaf I am turning over. This is hopefully the new me. I will see just how long this last before I find myself worrying about tomorrow. But hopefully when that happens I will be able to bring myself back to reality and take care of today.