LONDON WEEKEND

I have 20 minutes before we have to go get Abby from school so I will give you the condensed version of our weekend past. IT WAS WONDERFUL ! Freaking cold on Saturday, not as bad yesterday and today is just beautiful! Saturday we left Windsor by train and it was COLD, windy and nasty, nasty, nasty ! We all had on 2 and 3 layers of clothes with hats, gloves and scarves and it was still cold. Then we got into the train and roasted! WE got into London and took the tube to the London Eye where Ger and I had been this past summer. Roman had never seen anything like it so he just stood with his mouth open staring at this huge Ferris wheel. We walked over to a place on the Thames for lunch and a warm up before walking along the river to the London Aquarium. When we first went in it was mobbed with families but as we progressed through it the crowds did thin out. Unfortunately there was no place to check our back packs and coats so we had to drag them with us. We were all glad we had packed for our overnight in back packs because there were any number of people walking through the aquarium pulling suitcases. What a pain that was bumping into them at every turn. We spent well over 2 hours there and even got to walk over the sharks who were swimming in a tank beneath us. The kids were hesitant at first to walk across the Plexiglas floor but once they tried it we had to go round for a second trip. From there we ventured back out into the cold for a ride on the Eye. Thankfully the lines moved quickly and it was nice and toasty in the Eye itself. Roman was nervous about this whole venture but he just went along with the crowd and had a great time. The greatest fun of the whole ride to view London from the air was a rousing game of "I Spy" between Abby, Roman and Grandma that got a bit out of control so that Bridget had to ask us to quiet it down a bit. I think the other riders were quite jealous of us because they couldn't spy the things we were picking out! Once we were off the Eye we made a bee line for the hotel because by now the sun was going down and it was REALLY COLD! Back onto the subway, (oops- Tube) and a short walk to the Travel Lodge Hotel. It was so good to take the back pack off and relax those tired feet.
Sunday we packed up and went to Westminster Abbey for church. (I will be burning in hell as this is the Church of England and not the Catholic church) but is was lovely service and it did  give us the opportunity to see this magnificent structure. Did you know that Charles Darwin and Isac Newton are buried there?
From there we were off to the Royal Albert Hall for Cirque de Soile after a quick lunch at a small pub. The theatre was HUGE and just amazing. A theatre fit for a queen. The show itself was fantastic! This particular show is called "TOTEM" with a theme of Earth and Native American Indians. The costumes, stage sets and acrobatics are just wonderful. At one point we looked over at Roman and he was sitting forward in his seat with his mouth open, glued to the scenes below.
The entire weekend was one great thing after another.  We all came home bone tired and happy happy happy. Everyone slept great and went off to spend the day doing our own thing. Ger and I walked into town for lunch and a little shopping before we head back to the states on Wednesday. The kids went to school and then we baby sat tonight while Kyle and Bridget went for their evening in Buckingham Palace. It is almost 10 PM and they still aren't home so I guess you will have to wait to hear about that adventure.

A WEEKEND IN LONDON

TA TA . . . We're leaving for London in the morning and I am NOT taking the computer with me. You will have to wait till Sunday night to hear of our adventures. As I promised you yesterday we had a quiet day today. I actually slept till 11:30 this morning. And that was with Ger waking me at 10 to get his sweat shirt. He "thought he heard me up" (says him) so he came back up to get his heavy shirt. (He had only gotten up 20 minutes earlier.) I was sound asleep and he sat on the bed and started chatting away. I grunted a few responses so he finally got the idea that I really was not very into this one sided conversation. He told me he would go back down stairs and wait for me to get up. AN hour and a half later I once again woke up, this time on my own, and decided to get up and start pulling myself together. I had to unpack Paris from my back pack and start packing for London where we are headed tomorrow. Just as I finished getting dressed guess who arrived back up the stairs because he heard me moving around? So much for a few moments to collect my thoughts before I had to face the day.
It was a quiet day with a little walk to the bodega for lunch food. Between that and doing laundry that was the extent of our moving around for the day. Tomorrow we will all take the train into London for a trip to the aquarium and then a stay at a hotel for the night. Sunday we will go to mass and then see Cirque de Sole. I'll tell you all about it when we get back.

BACK IN THE UK

Au Revior Paris ! WE have traveled back through the chunnel and returned to England. Our day in Paris today was dryer but it was colder than ever. Thank goodness for that warm hat and gloves I bought. We left the hotel this morning after checking our, slung our back packs on our back (or shoulder) and headed around the corner for the tour bus once again. Today's bus took us to the Louvre where we checked our bags, got something to eat and set out to see the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo among hundreds of other pieces of art. All I could think was how much my son Kent would love to see this collection of art. Maybe some day. . .
After walking the width and length of this massive museum we gathered our belongings, found a cab and headed for the train station to await out 5:30 train back to England. It was an uneventful trip "home" and Kyle and Bridget were waiting up for us to make sure they didn't have to call out the police to start looking for us. WE were very proud of ourselves when we arrived in London and found that the underground line that we needed to take was not running. Rather than run screaming through the station we started to check the map to figure out another route. The panicked look on our faces must have sent up a red flag to a lovely English couple that was also traveling home and they took us under their wing and got us to Paddington Station where we caught our train to Windsor. There sure are nice people out here and we are meeting any number of them.
I'm totally pooped out after our 3 days of travel and am going to call it a night. I think we are going to just hang out here tomorrow so perhaps I can write more then about my thoughts on the French culture.  I just bet you can't wait!

PARIS - - - DAY TWO

It is freezing here ! I thought it was cold in England but this is rediculous. I didn't bring my really heavy fleece because it is supposed to be warmer in Paris than in Jolly Old England. NOT ! But the food makes up for the cold weather.
Last night I couldn't get to sleep thanks to a fabulous chocolate pastry and a cup of coffee, (the real stuff, no decaf in Paris), just before bed. I knew what I was doing but I couldn't resist and it was worth every hour of lost sleep! We fell asleep at 10 with the window open because we didn't know how to turn off the heat in the room. (I was wishing for that heat today as we were out and about freezing in the city.) But the police cars that kept flying by with their very European sirens going full blast, (think of some movie where the Nazi's are coming with sirens blaring), kept waking us up. And every time I woke up the chocolate pastry rose up to let me know I should not have eaten it. I finally fell asleep around 1AM when Ger shut the window and then we both slept till 9:45AM. So much for the plan to get up early and get moving. Considering it was pouring rain it really didn't matter that we slept in and got a late start. We weren't going to be doing much walking around today. We got moving and caught the OPEN TOP (OH JOY!) tour bus just around the corner from the hotel. Lucky for us it was near the start of the route so there were plenty of seats inside. With the ear phones plugged in, (that was worth 10 minutes of trial and error), we were off and creeping through the Paris streets. I have NEVER seen traffic like this. Even NYC at rush hour isn't this bad. It took forever for us to get to the transfer point where we got off our yellow line and on to the green line that would take us to the Lourve, Notre Dame, The Eifle Tower and just about any other tourist stop you could imagine. Because it was raining and we had to sit inside we really didn't get the full effect of this beautifrul city. The city is so much more crowded than I remember it from 42 years ago and there are ugly modern building stuck in here and there. Looking North from the second level of the Eiffel Tower there was a huge complex of modern building in the distance. (It was sort of looking at the city of Atlanta from Stone Mountain.) Except this mass of buildings was surrounded by buildings hundreds of years old. Paris is such a beautiful city and still a favorite of mine even in the rain and cold.
We stopped at Notre Dame and went inside. I got a tour tape and listened to it as we wandered through. Ger chose to just wander. At noon we attended mass in French. What a treat to be able to receive communion in this amazing place. From there we walked across the street for some lunch where we had a very personable waiter and some fair food. It was a long cold wait for the tour bus but finally we were on our way down the Champs Elyse to the Arc de Triomphe and then on the the Tour Eiffel. We looked down the streets to see if we could see the one were our little hotel was where we stayed on our honeymoon but the city has  grown and changed so much in these past 42 years. We got off the bus again at the Eiffel Tower and took the elevator, (lift) to the second level where we could see the whole city spread out before us. Even in the rain and fog it is beautiful. We had a cup of hot chocolate and a pastry, wandered into the gift shop and then left to return to the bus. At one point I went up on to the top of the bus and even in spite of the cold and the rain it was an amazing sight. We are hoping that tomorrow will be dryer and maybe just a little warmer so we can tour a little more and get off at the Louvre for some sight seeing there before we head back to England. Our train leaves at 5 tomorrow night and we should be back with the kids in Windsor by 9 tomorrow night if I don't decide to stay in Paris.

BONJOUR

We have made it to Paris and are alive and well and still cold. If it is possible Paris is colder than England.
We left Windsor this morning at 9 when Bridget drove us to the train station. From there we traveled into Paddington Station in London, took the tube to Kings Cross station where we connected to the EuroStar, the high speed train to Paris. All in all it was rather dull compared to the exciting ride we had anticipated. The trains are comfortable, fast, crowded in England, and no different than in the US. Things got interesting when we came out of Gard Nord (the train station in Paris). It is like coming out of Grand Central Station in Manhattan and not knowing which direction you are facing. We walked back and forth for a few minutes with me suggesting several times that we just get in a cab and point to the name of the hotel that Kyle had printed out for us. But Christopher Columbus wanted to sail forth and find the hotel on his own. (He didin't want to get into a cab to go only 3 blocks. I figured "screw it" it's freaking cold and we don't know where we are going.) The intrepid tourist sent me over to ask some French policemen where the streets and/or hotel was but even after taking out a street map they weren't quite sure. They pointed us in a direction and off we went again.  Three streets later and nothing looking like it was on our map, Christopher, (aka Ger) asked a French woman. She looked at our map and saw the Gard D'Est, which is across from the hotel we were searching for so she had us follow her down a small street and around a corner. Husband is now racing ahead and leaving me to fend for myself about a block behind. I was tempted to pop into a bistro for a cup of coffee and leave him wondering where I had gotten to. But I did catch up and sure enough, there was the station and there was the hotel.
After checking in we left our bags (just a back pack each. We can travel light when we have to.) and took a walk around the neighborhood. I seem to have left my hat and gloves back in England so we found a little shop similar to a dollar store and for 7 Euros I am ready to face the upper deck of the Paris tour bus tomorrow. We  found a little restaurant where we had dinner, quiche for me, pasta for Ger, then stopped at the pastry shop by the hotel for a little snack for dessert. Now we are in our room on the seventh floor over looking the train station. Sounds like a lousy view when in fact it is quite beautiful. We have taken pictures that you will have to wait to see till I can down load them.
We are quite proud of ourselves that we have made this trip without getting lost or killing each other. Hopefully our day of touring the city tomorrow will go as well.
Bon Soir.  

READY FOR PARIS

It was a lazy day today of doing laundry and getting mentally set to do some traveling tomorrow. K&B bought us tickets for the EuroStar train from London to Paris. We just have to find our way to that train from Windsor! That could be the hardest part of the trip. Kyle has done a fantastic job of mapping things out for us and he even bought our train and underground (subway) tickets from here to the train station that the EuroStar leaves from.  The train ride is 2 hours through the tunnel under the English channel and across the English and French country sides. We are really excited and had hoped that it would be a bit warmer in Paris but it doesn't look like that will happen. It is supposed to be in the 40's and raining. We could stay in Windsor for that sort of weather. But off we will go in the morning to catch a 9:45 AM train out of Windsor and head off on our adventure. I will be taking the little computer with me so hopefully you will hear from me in Paris. Shall I write my blog in French for you? (Like that would ever happen. You see the trouble I have with English, never mind French!)
We did take a lunch trip with Bridget over to the local gardening center. The garden center has plants, rocks, lunch, books, clothing and just about anything else you can imagine. It was so much fun wandering around the place. First we ate in the atrium at the back of the center. I had steak and kidney pie with a pastry cover, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables. The pie was TO DIE FOR ! It had a thick brown gravy and a ton of steak in it. It was hot, tender and just delicious. Bridget had fish and chips and Ger had bangers and mash. (Otherwise know as mashed potatoes and sausage.) Then we wandered around for about an hour looking at all the different things that were for sale. It was something like a flea market without all the vendors.  Just tables filled with different things for sale. I did manage to find a couple of little things to buy but I am saving my spare suitcase room for any treasures I may find in Paris.
We had a nice quiet evening with the kids. Abby seems to be coming down with a cold. She had K&B up several times last night so Kyle looks exhausted today. Abby said she wasn't hungry for dinner and then ate 6 pieces of pizza that was left over from her party on Saturday. Roman finished off 3 helpings of shepherds pie and 3 pieces of pizza. K&B aren't sure what hit them having 2 growing kids eating them out of house and home.
Grandpa and I are just sitting back taking it all in and trying to help out where we can. We did homework with Abby, reading and spelling. She is reading like a pro and can sound out almost every word she comes across. Roman is working on his phonics skills which are a challenge for him because he has to learn an entirely new alphabet and sounds. But he is doing very well and his English improves daily.
I'll write again tomorrow if we find our way to Paris. Keep those fingers crossed. Bon Soir !

A QUIET BRITISH SUNDAY

It was a typical British day here, cold and damp, damp, damp. But that is what we expected of England this time of year so we are not disappointed. Bridget took the kids to a bowling birthday party this morning and Kyle, Ger and I took a leisurely walk into town to attend 11 AM mass at St. Stephen's. The church hadn't changed much since our last trip here except that the nice cool stone church from this past summer was cold and damp today. Even the wooden pews were harder and colder. After mass we walked over to the Windsor Trooper for a breakfast of gammon ham (whatever that is. It looked like a slice of plain old ordinary ham.), one egg, mushrooms, (that were just fabulously delicious), peas, (that Ger refused to eat.), and chips. ( Who in their right mind has peas and french fries for breakfast?) It was a real English breakfast and it warmed us up after sitting in cold stone church for an hour. From there we walked home taking another route that took us through an old, old cemetery. These poor folk don't live very long in this climate. Reading the tomb stones as we passed many of the deceased were only in their early seventies when they died. I told Ger that if we lived here I'd be getting worried. (And if we ever decided to move here I would take out a REALLY BIG insurance policy on him.)
Once we got home we found the kids back from their party and getting ready to finish up their weekend homework. Abby was NOT a happy camper but did manage to get settled down to work on her penmanship. The fact that she is sitting on the floor to practice writing isn't helping her penmanship but she still seems to be taking after her dad with a head for math skills rather than writing. While the kids were doing their homework I called Sam, the receptionist from the chiropractors office that I visited when last in Windsor. She and I have been emailing off and on and I promised to meet her for a pint on our return trip. Sam was working off a hangover from last night so she was headed to the Prince Albert for "some hair of the dog that bit her". Kyle and family joined Ger and I in walking down to the corner pub and everyone got to meet Sam and Blokey. (Sam's man's name is Tony but he is fondly referred to as "Bloke" or "Blokey". He was a very nice guy and we enjoyed standing and talking for an hour. Kyle and Family established themselves at a table and the kids enjoyed crisps (potato chips) and Nehi sodas while Kyle and Bridget had a pint, (or two. But who's counting?) Good byes were then said and off we went to return home and get ready for dinner, baths and bed.
It was a great day all around.

PARTY ON !

In typical Lawlor fashion the birthday celebrations have spilled over into the weekend. When we celebrate a birthday we party for days. Only trouble is Abby being 6 has lots of friends that are also 6 and so today was filled with a house full of rambunctious six year olds. Bottom line is the kids really were great and all had a wonderful time but there were moments when grandma had second thoughts about being a grandma. As the kids started to pour into the house I found  myself going into withdrawal, edging further and further into the kitchen with hopes of  disappearing into the closet under the stairs, assuming the fetal position and remaining that way for the next 3 hours. My teaching skills have totally left me and I have become an OLD LADY who wants nothing more than to be left alone. Spending time with my grand kids is one thing, trying to get 16 six year olds to sit down to watch a movie is something else.
The party went off without a hitch, no thanks to me and the pizza, popcorn, cake and activities were enjoyed by all. At one point Kyle and Bridget took the rug rats off to the play ground at the corner and as they all tumbled down the street looking much like midget marching band Ger and I sat in the quiet kitchen considering locking the front door till three o'clock and the arrival of the parents. K&B were great working together keeping the party rolling and I do think Abby had a great time. I nearly lost it though at 3:00 when the parents started to arrive to TAKE THEIR CHILDREN HOME. Or at least that was what I thought they were arriving to do. Typical of the British they all came in the front door and stood there doing NOTHING. Not one of them suggested that their child get their shoes and coats on and LEAVE. They just stood there! By now the kids have finished eating their cake and the sugar is kicking in. As every mom knows, you serve the cake last so you can put the kids out before the sugar causes them to stampede and demolish your house. Obviously these British parents have different ideas, or no idea at all. As "mum" and "da" stood at the front door the kids started slipping away from the table and back into the "play room", which in fact is a huge parlor. As the noise level of the parents, who were quite enjoying the social gathering, rose so did the noise of the now sugar crazed kids in the parlor. All the adults were totally oblivious to the din coming from the next room and the kids were just getting wilder and wilder. At this point I couldn't take it any more and went into the parlor and swept all the kids out with a loud roar and a slam of the door on the now empty room. And still the parents stood chatting away. I really wanted to scream at the parents to grab a child, ANY CHILD, and get the hell out of the house.Knowing this is not proper I stood there having an anxiety attack with my heart racing and a headache the size of Windsor Palace.
Everyone finally did leave and Ger and I returned to only having to deal with Abby and Roman.
Abby is EXHAUSTED and the poor little thing could barely remain standing after dinner. It was an early night for her and is going to be an early night for grandpa and me.    

RETURN TO WINDSOR

It is like coming home to an old friend. Ger and I had a wonderful day yesterday after arriving at Heathrow at 10 AM. Bridget was there to meet us and we came home by way of Tesco, the grocery store. Every thing is so familiar and welcoming. It looks a little different in January than it did in June and July but just as great. It is a bit chillier than Florida, a mere 32 degrees, (that would be 0ne degree Celsius), rather than the 78 degrees that we left in West Palm Beach. But I really don't care. It is a refreshing change and it is so good to be here. We went with Bridget to pick the kids up from school and both were so excited to see us. Roman has grown taller and Abby is as adorable as ever. I told her I was going to start calling her Mini because she is a spitting image of me when I was 6.
After we had a super great dinner of spaghetti and meat balls, (Abby's favorite), she opened her gifts and we all crashed early. Ger and I were asleep by 9 and slept till 10 this morning. So much for jet lag . . .  I guess we are seasoned travelers and don't experience jet lag any more. Or maybe it is just that we are so old we always feel this way and don't realize it is jet lag.
Today when we got up we dressed warm and headed out the door for our half hour walk into town. (My cardiologist told me to walk a half hour every day. Good thing town isn't any closer.) We got into town and it seemed like we had just been there yesterday. We went to the post office and exchanged some dollars into pounds. Not a great exchange rate these days but it is what it is. For $500 we got 390 pounds. So with money in our pockets we were now ready to shop. But first we stopped for a cup of tea and to wait for Bridget to come from her French class and meet us for lunch. We had a lovely surprise to find Kyle with her and we all had a great English lunch at one of the many pubs in Windsor. From there Kyle went back to work and Bridget, Ger and I went to find a dress shop. It seems that Kyle and Bridget have been invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace a week from Monday. The invitation came to Kyle's office and he jumped at the chance to go. The invitation suggested Kyle wear a suit, (black tie is not necessary), and Bridget to NOT wear slacks or have bare legs. Also . . . NO HATS !   Bridget checked with some of her British friends who have attended similar events and got some good suggestions of the type of dress to look for. We found a shop, settled Ger in next door at the tea shop and Bridget and I got to shopping. It didn't take long to find the perfect dress that looks just wonderful on Bridget. She got a necklace and earrings to match and she is ready to go. And the best thing of all . . . it was ALL on sale.  (You will have to wait until a week from Monday for the pictures!)
Bridget left us in Windsor and biked home and we followed in a cab after a little more shopping and a cup of hot chocolate (With all the tea and drinks today it was a good thing I didn't take a water pill this morning! ) By the time we got home it was time to walk over and pick up Abby from school. She was dressed in costume today for "library" day. The kids got to dress like a favorite story book character. She dressed
like "Franny K Stein" (Frankenstein) the title character in some books that mom and dad have been reading to her. She was adorable and we got her picture which will have to be added after our return to the States. She looked so cute but Grandpa didn't even recognize her with her big black glasses on. She even won the award for the best costume. As Abby told us, "(she) was the only one in the class to get the award!" GO ABBY ! Roman missed all this because on Friday's he stays after to play Rugby with the school team. GO ROMAN!
After school there was then kite flying, playing with a little neighbor child, painting, piano playing ( keyboard was one of Abby's gifts from mom and dad), dinner, Bridget opening gifts for her birthday, more cupcakes, opening the gifts that had been left in grandpa's suitcase and forgotten from under Bridget's bed, playing with said gifts, showers, tooth brushing and a wild game of Chutes and Ladders.
And so ends day two in England. Everyone is now in bed, including Ger and I am not far behind.
Tomorrow is KID PARTY day with 14 kids from Abby's class arriving at the house for a movie, popcorn and pizza.  After that I think it will be booze for the adults and an early bed time for all. I'll keep you posted.

WHEN IS A BACK PACK NOT A BACK PACK ?

And the answer to that is . . . when it is owned by my husband! 

We are in Jolly Old England, arrived here at 3 AM our time, 9 AM British time. The trip went fine except for a few minor details. We arrived at the airport in Florida and checked our 2, quite heavy and totally full, bags. Leaving the counter at the check in we headed for security and I knew we were in for a Ger adventure. Husband brought his back pack that we had purchased for our last trip to England. The idea being, as the name BACK pack implies, that we would pack a ton of stuff in the pack, throw them on our backs and have our hand free for passports, sodas, coats and what ever else we  might end up carrying. ONE PROBLEM . . . Husband refuses to put the pack on his back ! So now he has something else to carry in his hands that are already full, AND the pack weighs a ton.
We got on our plane to Philly and arrived to find we had to walk a mile (or so it seemed) to a different terminal to catch our plane to London. By now husband has his BACK pack, a book, his passport, boarding pass, jacket, sweat shirt and a bottle of soda to carry on this trek. I knew we were in for trouble when he started "HUFFING". (meanwhile he is walking 30 miles and hour like he is in a marathon. We did have a two hour lay over so we really did NOT need to rush.) The sweat shirt hit the floor first. I mentioned the fact that his shirt was falling and I got "Well  what do you expect? I have all this stuff in my hands." Tempted as I was to note that the back pack COULD/SHOULD be worn on his BACK I kept quiet and waited for him to "reorganize". It was when the soda bottle ejected itself onto the moving walk way that I decided he was on his own and I would say no more.
I don't know what the problem is with him and this bag. He did the same thing on our last trip here and couldn't understand why I thought these bags were a good idea. Next trip he is on his own and can pack in a brown paper bag. Only trouble with that is he would probably want to tie some rope on it so he can wear it on his back!

P.S.   It is rainy and 32 degrees here in Windsor.  Bridget looks wonderful and is baking cupcakes for Abby's birthday, which is today.  We will go with her to pick up the kids from school so that will be our first time to see them. Can't wait !

NO TIME TO WRITE

Sorry readers,  I have thought of you all last week and written endless blogs in my brain but never found the time to write them.  We leave for England tomorrow and between packing, the AC dying, friends arriving and just generally trying to keep Husband company I have not had a chance to sit and write.  Right now it is after 10 AM and I can hear Ger in the kitchen "entertaining" (boring) our house guests. I am torn between rescuing them or writing this. I decided it's EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF and they are on their own.
Our NY clan has been arriving since a week ago. Jeanne and Frank got here a week ago last Saturday. They had to pick up Sharon and Bob on this Saturday because Ger and I were in Ft. Lauderdale for Smith's Christening. Smith was wonderful and it was a beautiful day.













 Once we got back home we have been partying ever since.  Bob is complaining that there is way too much food and he is quite right.  We have been having to wash all that food down with endless drinks and I am not looking forward to my check-up with the cardiologist at 11 today.
Tonight the partying continues with dinner out and then tomorrow morning I have got to spend some time making sure I have packed all that is needed for our 2 weeks in England.  Sharon and Bob will stay here at our house and hopefully make themselves at home for the time we are gone. Sharon is threatening to redecorate our house and that is fine with me!  As long as I don't have to cook and clean for 2 weeks she can do what ever she wants.

I hope to talk to you when in England.  The computer will be packed and if time allows I will see you in 2 days in jolly Old England.  PIP PIP AND CHEERIO !

RANTINGS OF A COLD HEARTED BITCH

I do rant and I am a bitch but I really am not cold hearted.  It is just that because it is a slow news week we are being subjected to 24 hour news coverage from Arizona. I am not saying that the shootings there were not AWFUL but enough already!  Perhaps the fact that our TV is on 24/7 (or so it seems) and said TV is ALWAYS tuned to a news station but I am feeling bombarded with this God awful tragedy. PEOPLE, LET'S MOVE ON ! You know as well as I do that if there was a hurricane, wild forest fire or (God Forbid) a plane crash or bombing Arizona would be dumped quicker than my diet. But because nothing "BIGGER" has come along we are going to interview everyone who lives in the entire state and then some.
When was the last time you heard the news focus on a family that was just evicted from their home? Or a family who is fighting a battle with some horrid disease? Those stories are going on all around us day in and day out and we never hear about them. But put a bunch of politicians in front of a camera and the coverage will go on forever.
I"ll say my prayers for the poor people of Arizona who this tragedy has effected but I'll also be praying for the rest of the world population who is suffering. All those who we don't hear about and need our prayers just as much if not more.

HODGEPODGE

In case you were wondering where I was, (like there is anyone out there reading this nonsense), we can blame my absence on Steven King and female hormones. Not necessarily in that order and in fact it was Mr. King who helped drag me up from the depths of depression. Holiday aftermath blahs caught up to me in the form of "OH GOD, save me from this husband". It happens often and this latest incident of "There's not enough room in this world for the 2 of us" just happened to kick in as we needed to clean up all the holiday "crap". Just the very sound of Husband breathing, (which does happen to be a lot noisier than the average person, just ask my kids) set my teeth to clenching. I went through half my supply of "happy pills" and not even that was helping. Then I got reading Mr. King's latest book, a collection of 4 short novels an that did help a bit. I really enjoyed the book but I much prefer his  
L-O-N-G   stories. The best are his "Dark Tower" books. I think I'll go back and read some of his older book again. I read "The Stand" every few years and enjoy it as much as I did the first time around.
So now we are on an up-swing in the world of female moods and that 's a good thing because we are making our return trip to Windsor a week from tomorrow. Abby will be six (how that ever happened is beyond me, she was just born yesterday) a week from Thursday and we will be there to help her celebrate. You might want to check the blog because we will be taking a side trip to Paris for 3 days and I'll be sure to post from there. In anticipation of the trip I had to get a new pair of WARM slacks so I went shopping today and that my friends was even more therapeutic than Steven King. (Went for a massage first and that did help too!). I did find a lovely pair of slacks (oops, what size am I? When did THAT happen?) and they look and feel just fine. I even found a great Lands End turtle neck sweater that will keep me toasty warm in the chilly, damp English winter. The bonus was finding some gifts for Bridget and Abby. (Bridget's BD is the day after Abby's.)
So it was a good day of shopping and relaxing and stretching at yoga. I'm still attending the yoga class once a week and absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I am as awkward as a handicapped ostrich and look just awful but it is wonderfully relaxing and has been great stretching for my back. The only pose I have gotten to perfection is called "the Corpse Pose". You lay on your back on the floor and RELAX and Breathe. I nailed that one the first day !  The rest of the poses, NOT SO MUCH!  But I keep trying and it feels good.
Husband has been busy doing nothing as usual. To be fair he painted the trim on the front door today. I had to go outside with him after I came back from shopping to see what a good job he did. (I am married to a 2 year old!)( He told me at least seven times how hard it was to do because he had to go slow.)
Our little man, Smith, had a return visit to his cardiologist today to check on a heart murmur that they found when he was born and it is completely gone!  HOORAY FOR SMITH !  Smith will be baptized on Saturday and Ger and I will stand in as his God Parents because no one else in the family can get here. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures.
Friends Jeanne and Frank came down to Florida last Saturday and are here for a while so we have some friends to go out with this week before we leave for Windsor. I will be sure to take some time off with Jeanne so we can get some girl talk in. We're hoping Sharon and Bob will make it down on this Saturday but I hear that Bob is having a lot of trouble with his neck and is in a lot of pain.
Time to head to bed.  Husband is in bed huffing and puffing because I am sitting here on the computer in stead of keeping him company. Maybe he is more like a one year old . . .

LIFE IS WHAT IT IS !

Just read K's blog and she is upset because a good friend just "lost" her 4 month old fetus. In spite of the wonderful little Smith in K&K's life the untimely end of a friends pregnancy opens a lot of wounds. K is always sensitive to all her friend and family's sufferings and takes on their pain. It causes her to question the existence of God and why He allows these things to happen.  I guess God knew what he was doing when he put Kristen into our family. Hopefully we will be able to get her to understand that God doesn't punish or reward. He just holds us up when we need him.
Isn't it amazing how things work in life ?  Why did I become friends with Sharon and Jeanne? We were neighbors, we had kids the same age but there was a lot more to it.  As the years pass I see the changes they have brought to my life and vice versa. And I always see the Hand of God in all of it. It will never cease to amaze me.

As for the lighter side of life here in Florida . . . I was at the doctor's office today to check out my HIGH blood pressure. The Christmas feast has caught up to  me and my body is reacting accordingly. I keep telling myself I will loose that weight and it keeps right on creeping up and up. And right along with the weight, the BP is creeping up. Yesterday I decided I was waiting for the heart attack to happen.  Nothing melodramatic about me, "I'll be fine . . .  just leave me alone to die quietly in a corner!" . . .  P.S. I"m still here but really did need to check this out so off I went to my doctor. After the "TSK, TSK" she put me on a new BP med and told me to get my fat ass moving and lose some weight! Psychologically I am feeling much better but the thought of rabbit food and no pasta is down right depressing. And if I get depressed I start to eat. And then when I eat I gain more weight. And when I gain weight . . . . . . ................

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

LET THE RIDE BEGIN !

At midnight last night the Roller Coaster left the station for the 2011 ride of our lives.  The 2010 coaster ride was a great one for us and not so great for others. It all depends on what car you are in and how well you do on roller coasters.  I have to thank GOD for helping me through all the dips and turns that this ride throws at us. God didn't build the roller coaster, he just gave us the ticket that allows us to ride. The seat belt of his arms circle us throughout the journey but some times we choose to push the seat belt off and try riding on our own. That's usually when we hit that huge dip down hill so it's never a good idea to let go and think you can make it on your own. We should be hanging on tighter than ever but being human we seem to think we know better and can do a better job of riding on our own. Only time can tell the out come of that decision.

The 2010 ride ended last night and God has seen fit to give us another go at it. I pray that my seat belt holds me tight because the older I get the steeper the hills and the sharper the drops. I guess that is why each and every morning I make sure God knows I'm here and still trusting him to hang on to me in all I do through out the day. I always ask for good strong arms around my children and their families to help them survive and enjoy the days ride. I ask that the Lord's arms are tight around my friends so that they too will not fall off during the day. And at night I make sure I say, "THANK YOU" for those strong arms and extra blessings that have helped me to enjoy the ride, not just survive it.

So buckle up every one, the 2011 ride is on its way and I hope you enjoy it to the fullest. Don't forget who gave you the ticket to ride another year. Hang on tight to the Lord and HAVE FUN !  This is the best ride in the world, don't let petty little dips and turns throw you off the track. You know the falls are there and will pop up when you least expect them. Hang on tight, ask for help and you'll be out of them before you know it. 

I really do hope this 2011 ride slows down a little bit. It seems I just blinked and last years ride was over. I often would close my eyes because I saw a huge hill coming and I  just wanted it to be over but then realized that the point of riding a roller coaster was for the thrill and if you close your eyes you are missing out on all the fun. 

So, open your eyes, buckle that seat belt TIGHT and don't forget to keep asking for help to get you through the tough parts of the ride. But most important of all,  ENJOY THE RIDE !  You never know when you won't get a ticket for the next one so ride this one like it is your last and make it count !