The Sound of the Sea

It was beckoning to us, and we answered.  And I am so glad we did!

 We started out with an overnight at Disney, staying in a Treehouse Villa.  Lovely, different, perfect for 9 people staying for one night and not planning to go to any of the Disney Parks. 

                        

We are a classy crew…

 You all want to vacation with us now, don’t ya?

Notice my green bathing suit there on the bed?  Yep, it made an appearance again on this cruise.  So happy it still fits!!   Neh to those of you who say that by now the elastic is probably all stretched out…

Our time on the ship sailed by so quickly….

We had these of course…

 And lots of this….

Fabulous servers again…

Lots of sun and sand…

And ice skating, of course…

 I think my dear friend Shawn may have ice skated, rock-climbed, boogie boarded and taken in a broadway style show all in one day.   Me – well, while she was rock climbing and some of the kids and my hubby were boogie boarding on the Flow Rider and some were getting their 8th helping of soft serve ice cream of the day, I was poolside, reading my 4 books. 

This is the joy of a cruise.  You get to have your self serve ice cream and eat it, too.

And now the planning begins again.

Where to next….?

Headed to Sea

Tomorrow we say "bon voyage", as  once again we head out to sea, this time with dear friends on deck along with us.  As is mandatory for any vacation I take, I have my reading material all ready.  First up will be this one, and I confess I've already begun reading it...

Click Here to Find out More

I wasn't sure how I would feel about it at first, particularly as it is published for "young adults"... due to devastating circumstances a young girl becomes a hit woman (trained by assasin nuns) working for the god of death... (I know, I know!)  but there is just the right mix of historical fiction, romance, action (okay, violence) and a strong female leading lady.   I have quickly been transported to the 15th century and thinking about the characters even after I've put it down...  maybe not the best book to read while traveling with friends.  I'll try to be good company, and to keep my Old English to a minimum during conversation. Mayhaps.  And, oh dear, it is the first book in a trilogy, which means I'll be at sea with a cliffhanger.  (Is that what happened to Noah's Ark?)  But I'm getting ahead of myself.  More when I return! 

*Spoiler Alert*

Dear Emmy,

My heart broke this morning when I came downstairs to find you on the couch, crying, because the Leprechaun hadn't come to our house.  For 11 years, a Leprechaun has snuck into our home, and left a treat or surprise somewhere in our home, and this year he didn't show up.   Last night, in a final effort, you even tried to entice him with gold.

Emmy, there is something you should know.....

(Sigh)  Okay....

Um, the Leprechaun is actually.....

not here this year because when St. Patrick's Day falls on a Saturday in a Leap Year, he gets the day off to celebrate with his Leprechaun family.

I'm sure he will be back next year.

Love,

Mommy

Bus Fumes and Bakeries

Dear Noah,

Yesterday morning after the school bus carried you and Emmy off to a day of your own and I began the walk home from the bus stop, my senses were shaken by the scent of bus fumes and the sweet smell of pastries.  An odd, unexpected combination, but one that I was familiar with, and it caused me to stop in my tracks.  I had been transported back to my life in Italy, where each day I experienced this noxious perfume as I walked the streets of Bologna.  I hated it then, but a part of me grieves for it now.  And I didn't want the smell to dissipate as I began walking again back home.

But Now is this:

Watching you Eat Ice Cream Sundaes off your head....

Celebrating 15 years of marriage in Grand Cayman...

Caring for this little "Baby Cushion" twice a week...

and Celebrating Birthdays...

All good stuff.  And none of it would I trade for even an afternoon back in Italy.  Even if there is a bakery trip included.

 

Love,

Mommy





There's A Motion on The Floor

Over this past weekend, I caught my son reading...
THIS BLOG.

All of the past posts.  Chuckling, reminiscing... asking me for more details about certain things I blogged.  And then he started sending comments on a few.  The last one got me:

turnerkid said...

hey mommy when r u gonna start the blog again
i really enjoy seeing myself in the past and i wanna see myself in newer pics

Weelll...  I had stopped blogging because I have been feeling the need to be more private.  Maybe it's because I was getting tired of how public so many people are with all of the info they share about themselves online.  Of getting the feeling that some people saw themselves as celebraties because of the number of people who read their blogs or friended them on facebook.  How self-important some people were sounding and acting on facebook and other social media outlets, and it gave me pause. Did having this blog make me any different? How do I sound to other people here?

But I started it as a journal for my family.  As a way to share our life with a far away friend in Switzerland.  As a way to update my snowbird parents on their grandkids.  And I never realized how much it meant to my kids.

So, I will continue my journal here.  For turnerkid.  I second the motion.  All those in favor?

I.

An Addition

Easter weekend brought with it a special surprise for Noah and Emily.  Aunt Annie brought them a special basket filled with eggs. 

 Within those eggs they found candy and letters that they had to unscramble to reveal a special surprise....

ehem....

I wish I could tell you that they didn't need any hints at this point.....

But they FINALLY figured it out... sort of....

Noah and Emily will have a baby cousin - or as we must now lovingly refer to him or her - Baby Cushion - come October!  We can't wait! 

Without Words

too introspective for blog-speak of late

but here is where we've been and what we've been up to...

parties

 and playing

 

and Phillies in Florida



with a short visit to Disney

Arrows of Light

  where a Cub Scout

 becomes

a Boy Scout

Peeking Into The Past

and In Awe of the Lady

Dying eggs in remembrance of the One Who Died

And celebrating the way we always do - with food....