New Clothes

COLD DOGS

Here I am, in Sarasota....it's beautiful here. Chamber of Commerce weather as they say. It was a little nippy this morning which will explain a lot about this post. As you may know, my mother has two dogs, Maggie (a Shih-Tzu) and McGregor (a Yorkie.....shhhhh don't tell him about his ears.) Little dogs get cold when it's cold outside. They both tremble and shake and just seem miserable. Since neither one has a.) Learned how to use a litter box like their much wiser former roommate Misty; or b.) figured out how to use the human facilities, they must go outside on a regular basis, cold or not; rain or not; heat or not. So, this morning, my mother decided the pups needed their sweaters on for their morning walk. McGregor is all about the walk. He doesn't really care if it's cold or not, if it's time to walk, we better be going. He sets the direction, the pace and he's just not stopping for much of anything. His nose is pointed forward and off he goes. Maggie on the other hand, really would prefer to be carried for her walk. She doesn't like getting her paws wet or her belly cold, or really being inconvenienced in any way. So, putting on a sweater is just more trauma than she can bear. The sweater she previously owned (up until around noon today) just didn't quite fit her anymore. Her body is a little longer than the sweater so she couldn't get her back legs through their holes anymore. It was definitely time for a new one. So, this is what she got:

It's a lovely little, light sweater with just enough sequins to make a girl feel special. This is totally lost on Maggie. She is Paralyzed by her sweater. It's way too restrictive, and she can not possible be expected to walk with this thing on. As you can see, McGregor is giving it the once over to make sure it's safe for Maggie to wear. (He's quite the protective older brother, you know.) Maggie was not at all pleased with having to bear the indignity of wearing a sweater. I'm sure she will appreciate it when it is in the 40's again when it comes time for her morning walk.

As you can see below, sibling rivalry is not just for humans. McGregor seems to be a bit peeved at the lack of any new items for him.

CHRISTMAS RECAP

Christmas was very quiet. Mom and I went to church on Christmas Eve. The Incarnation Folk Group did an amazing job with the music. It was very nice. It was a little melancholy for me because I really miss singing with that group. Since moving to California, I have discovered that there really aren't any churches that have a contemporary or folk choir. The Contemporary/Folk groups that sing at Mass are paid for their services. Anyway, I enjoyed singing with the Church of the Incarnation folk group and I missed it this year. Mom was really under the weather with a cold and felt miserable. We had a nice dinner on Christmas Eve, and then opened gifts.

She's really not well in this picture. However, she is my mother and she refuses to allow herself to be sick. It's sort of like if she ignores it, it will go away. Well, she had to work on Christmas Day and she really was not feeling much better. It was a long 12 hour shift for her and she was done for by the time she got home.

Tuesday, she was in deep denial that she was sick however, she was not able to do a whole lot so she laid pretty low.

She has made a good recovery and is back at about 3/4 speed. She's busy and that's good for her........

It's Beginning to (FEEL) a Lot Like Christmas.....

BRRRRRRRRRRRR.....It's southern California and it's in the 50"s outside.....what's THAT all about? I know better than to complain a great deal because I have a lot of friends and family that live in places that will be much colder with great deals of precipitation in the coming weeks. So, I'll move on.


Holiday Baking....

There's not a lot of it going on but I did make my usual Hot Fudge Ice Cream Sauce and Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sauce this past weekend. It turned out good again. For such a simple recipe, it packs a big punch. I only made two big batches of each this year. It's a lot more manageable making it for 20 than it is for 100.

They sure are yummy!

San Diego Wild Animal Park

On Sunday, I traveled to south to see the holiday lights at the San Diego Wild Animal Park (a branch of the San Diego Zoo.) The lights were very festive and the kids around us seemed to be having fun. Of course, I didn't get any pictures of those but here are a few of some of the animals I saw. It was pretty cold so many of the animals weren't out. I think they may have discovered they weren't in Africa anymore.

Here are some Gorilla's. They were cold.

There were pink flamingo's.....there's a brown one too but I don't think he (she) was in the right pond.

Some Knitting and Crocheting Updates.

I finished my sister's dress! It is so very soft. She has a great picture of it on her blog. The dress was such a hit at the office that one of my co-workers wants one so I'll get to make it again. I'm one of those weird folks that I love making things for other people as long as it is something I like to make. Now if I could just figure out why I have such an aversion to making sweaters, I'd be happy.

On the Log Cabin front, I have two more squares to do. I have been thinking about the layout of them and how to put them together with a border. I think I will actually knit the border on the outside squares and then do a three needle bind off to put them all together.

I saw the Knitty Gritty episode a few weeks ago where they showed how to do a Moebius. I was very intrigued by that and have been struggling for 4 months trying to figure out what the two skeins of SeaSilk want to be. It has tried to be many different things and right now it's resting. It has been knit and unknit so many times......

Only 6 more shopping days till Christmas. I think I'm done shopping but you never know. Be careful out there.

Christmas Magic

Feel free to copy and paste, change the answers and send by email to your friends or post on your blog:

NAME: Mary Pat
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa leaves the unwrapped gifts in the same room as the tree. There were always too many of us for the gifts to go under the tree. He was very organized and would put our stockings on top of the pile of our presents so we knew what belonged to us.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No

5. When do you put your decorations up? The tree goes up the weekend after Thanksgiving

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Mashed potatoes

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: I loved it when my grandparents would arrive for the Christmas holiday and we would help them get all the wrapped gifts out of the trunk of the car and put them under the tree.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I don't remember.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes. It started when I was a kid that we would only open gifts from the Aunts and Uncles on Christmas Eve. Over time, it progressed to opening all the wrapped gifts on Christmas Eve and the stockings and gifts from Santa would appear on Christmas morning. Later I found out that my Dad was the instigator and the one who really wanted to open all the gifts.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? White lights, a little garland, and special, unique ornaments only....no icicles or tinsel

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Having lived in Florida and now Southern California for the past 16 years, I'm not so much a fan of the snow. I would like it for one day and then only if I was inside. I don't want to drive in it, scrape it off a windshield or get wet feet from walking in slushy snow.

12. Can you ice skate? No. I went once when I was a teenager. It took me 90 minutes to get around the rink once and that was it.....I hung up my skates forever...

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? A couple of the more recent ones are a watercolor from my father and yarn that my nephew hand dyed.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? I love spending the time with family, cooking, telling stories, opening gifts. I also really like that people are just a little nicer to each other at this time of year.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Pumpkin Walnut Cheesecake

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Having a really nice dinner on Christmas eve and then opening presents.

17. What tops your tree? A star

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? Most of the time, giving. But receiving is nice too.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Silent Night

20. Candy Canes... Yuck or Yum? I'm a little ambivalent about this one. If I'm going to have a candy cane it needs to be a regular red and white peppermint one.....no funky flavors or colors for me.

21. What is your favorite Christmas movie? Holiday Inn followed by Santa Claus: The Movie, Christmas in Connecticut and the original Natalie Wood version of Miracle on 34th Street.


Merry Christmas!

One VERY Proud Aunt

My niece, the lovely and VERY talented Kighla, is acting her heart out in a play at a theater in Manhattan. She was chosen by her drama teacher to be in a play in a theater on the upper west side. It's very exciting. She's an awesome kid with a great heart, a lot of talent and I am very proud to be her aunt.....

You Rock, Kighla!

Thanksgiving Prep

The evening before Thanksgiving and someone in this building is roasting a Turkey. It smells really good. I'll be eating Delta Snacks as I travel to Florida tomorrow. It's definitely worth it though. I am looking forward to spending time with my Mother and seeing a couple of friends. I am thankful that I am able to get away for the weekend. There are so many things I am grateful for.

1. I am grateful that I am working form AACN. This is the opportunity of a lifetime and I am having a great time. I hope that I will be able to make a contribution to critical care nursing.
2. I am grateful for my mother. I love that we are such great friends. She is such a great support to me. I love her very much.
3. My brother Jon. I know I don't see him very much or talk to him very much. In my life, he made it possible for me to be alive today. I know that he doesn't like to let it get out but he has a big heart and I am grateful.
4. My brother Steve. I don't see him as often as I like but I know he's there just in case.
5. My brother Jim. He has always been so accepting of me. He is a good brother, son and father. He puts family first and is a just a great guy. He has a great sense of humor and is very smart with computers.
6. My sister Heather. Over the years, we have had our sisterly issues but through it all, she has been my sister. She has been a huge support to me over the past several years and I am so grateful for that. She will never know how many times she calls at just the right time. She is a wonderful Mom.
7. Matt, my brother-in-law, who, no matter what, has always been very accepting of me and welcoming to me. He is a formidable opponent at Scrabble, Scattergories and Uno, but he is always willing to let me think I might be able to win. I love that.
8. My nieces and nephews. From Alex, who is so talented and smart. Nicole who is quiet and beautiful and smart. Chris, who is fearless, funny and smart. Katherine, who is beautiful, smart and a teenager (YIKES!) Ashley, funny, open, and smart. Ean who is talented, loving, insightful, smart, funny and wise. Kighla, who is friendly, gregarious, funny, loving, sensitive, talented, and smart.
9. My cousin who has been so generous with opening up her home to me when I was in need. She is fun to hang out with and she'll go to the movies with me.
10. My cat, Misty. She is always so happy to see me while letting me know that I really haven't been quite as attentive as I should have been. I love that she sometimes thinks I am another cat.
11. My friends at work. I am thankful for Pam, Lee and Luke who have become foster parents to Misty when I go out of town. I am thankful for Linda for being the foster aunt to Misty.

I think I need to stop there.....the list is no where near complete but I haven't packed yet and it's 8:30 pm.

I am loving this new beta version of blogger. It is easy peasy to make changes to the template and layout of the page. I'm sold.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you are with people you love.

Time Flies and Other Stuff

How is it than when you live your life every day, life just seems to go on. Then you go to post your blog entry and you realize that it's been almost a month since said blog was posted to? Today, I actually had quite a nice entry written and then due to some very wierd blogger (or could it be user) issues, it was lost.......lost I tell you, never to be found again. Initially, this just pissed me off because, who knows, maybe that was the best I had in me today and there it was just wasted on typing away and never making it to blog land. So, now, here I sit, several hours later, trying to recreate what was a previously spontaneous, not too bad blog entry. Now, it feels forced and challenging. So, I guess I will take a different tack. I will not try to recreate the lost blog, but instead, move on to other things.

OJ
Earlier today, I did some ranting about this whole OJ situation; how I really didn't understand a society that thinks it's okay to feed this jerks narcissistic needs. Then, my faith was renewed when I read that the book and the TV appearance was cancelled. That really is good. I still have to go back and ask the question though, what made someone think that this really was a good idea? What was to be gained from it. I'm not sure that Ms. Regan (the publisher) is really thinking clearly when she sees giving this guy more attention will assist with her healing over being a victim of spouse abuse. Perhaps THERAPY is a better option??????? I'm just sayin.....
And then I saw that the book had made it to #21 on the Amazon sales list but had fallen to #54 earlier today. I'm thinking we should just charge those people who were stupid enough to order the book anyway and give it to the families of Nicole and Ronald. For goodness sake, haven't they been put through enough already? (I really thought I was over this, apparently I have a few unresolved issues with it.)

I'll move on.

Elections
YIPEEE!!!!! I am very grateful that the Democrats have control over both houses of Congress. It's as the founding fathers thought it should be.....checks and balances and all that. I just hope the Dems don't do anything to screw it up. I say, just keep your heads down and focus on the work. Don't do anything fancy.....don't let John Kerry out to talk, keep him locked in a closet somewhere, just head down and focus. I must say that there is a heavenly Cattaraugus County contingent celebrating. I'm sure Art, Mildred, LJ and Al are all sitting around having a good old discussion about this election.

I must confess that for a short moment, I did consider not voting. When I woke up on Election Day, I figured that I would not have a moment's peace from all the Democrat DNA inside me that I am sure has been programmed to do something awful should I not vote in an election. So, believe me, I was one of the first at the polls. Of course, the California bureaucracy was at work and despite the fact that I registered when I got my Driver's License, my name was no where to be found on the books. Not to worry, California allows provisional voting pending verification of information. They even give you a number to call to make sure your vote was cast. Thank goodness.

Amazing Kids in NYC
This falls under the category of Proud Aunt. Living in NYC can be difficult and challenging at times. It is a completely different experience than most of the country lives. On the flip side, there are some absolutely amazing opportunities that few others in the country have. One of those is the opportunity to go to the LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts. My very talented, smart nephew just interviewed for the Drama School this past weekend. He is so very cool and calm about standing up in front of a group of people and performing that I am blown away. Good luck my buddy! Not to be outdown, my niece is in rehearsal for a play at a Theater on the Upper West Side. Her opening night is in a couple of weeks and I know she will be awesome.

Projects underway....
I have been busy working on a couple of projects.

1. Crocheted dress for my sister. The back is complete. I have a couple of 4 1/2 hour plane rides coming up, I'm sure I'll be able to have this one done by next Monday.
2. Special project in the "full circle" category. I'm working on a project with some yarn that was dyed by my nephew....that's all the information that I can give. I am hoping this will be done before Xmas.
3. Christmas ornaments. We do an ornament exchange at work. I found a nice little ornament pattern in Handknit Holidays that's pretty easy. The hardest thing for me was working with Double Pointed Needles. I'm really not that coordinated. Once I figured it out I was able to knock them out pretty fast. They are loads of fun.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all who read this. If you are traveling, safe travels. If not, have a blast and don't work too hard cooking.

Next up, holiday shopping...........

NYC, Rhinebeck and Tough Bugs

Why is it that when I take my camera somewhere, I forget to take pictures? I'm a knucklehead....that's all there is to it.

Two weeks ago I headed to Philadelphia for yet another business trip. This time, I was in downtown Philadelphia. It was my first time and I liked it a lot. We were right across the street from Reading Terminal Market.This is a phenomenal place with all manner of vendors of food, organic vegetables, Amish goods, etc. A truly amazing marketplace. If you are in downtown Philadelphia, I would highly recommend a visit.

Took a nice walk to Rittenhouse Square. A beautiful city park surrounded by a lot of shops and restaurants.

Took a little side street trip to Rosies Yarn Cellar where there was quite a large amount of yummy yarns in a very small space.

The conference in Philadelphia was nice. I had the opportunity to connect with some friends from my past life. It was great to be able to represent such a well respected organization. People were constantly coming up to our booth telling us they were members and loved AACN. I am lucky.

Wednesday, I took the train to NYC. Wow, how easy was that. Amtrak was right on time, an hour and 15 minutes later, Penn Station. No muss, no fuss.....easy as can be. The next few days were spent hanging out with my sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew. I got to watch a couple of soccer matches, meet teachers and see an amazing showcase at LaGuardia School for the Performing Arts. NYC has a very complicated process of choosing a high school. The process involves going on school tours, interviews, auditions, portfolios, etc. It is as tough as getting into college. We went and visited Millennium High School down by Wall Street. It's a new school built after 9/11 as a result of the efforts of Sen. Clinton. It's a very nice space. I was very blown away by LaGuardia High School. We saw performances by the Jazz Band, the Orchestra, the choir, some drama students, dancers, and art. Those kids were amazing. The academic program is quite remarkable as well.

I came down with a nasty cold (well, at that time it was a cold) and it knocked me down for a few days. My sister, niece and I did get to the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, New York. It was a couple of hours north of the city and it was a glorious fall day.

There was so much beautiful yarn it was hard to wrap my head around it. It was a delightful trip and well worth the adventure. I

Monday, I headed back to California. Note to self......don't fly when you have a cold. It sucks, I know why babies cry. If I could have cried, I would have. I did take NyQuil before getting on the plane so I did sleep for a few hours. Thank goodness, it was a non-stop flight from Newark to Orange County. Landing was miserable. The only good thing is that the descent into OC is not prolonged so the pain only lasted about 30 minutes. The bad thing was that I couldn't hear much once we landed. My ears were a mess. Since getting back, the past 6 days have been pretty miserable.......cold transitioned to rotten sinusitis. My ears finally cleared up yesterday and I am actually feeling human again.

It's been a heck of a couple of weeks and I am looking forward to getting back to work. I've started knitting again and life is good.

Congratulations to my cousin. She kicked butt in San Francisco last weekend running a half marathon and finishing a full 30 minutes ahead of her estimated time and even better than her stretch goal. She has worked hard to accomplish this and she did great.......

How Many Times Can You Rip Out Your Knitting?

I have this beautiful Handmaiden Sea Silk yarn that I bought a few months ago. It is incredibly beautiful and soft. I know that I want to use it to make a wrap for me to use at the office when it gets a little chilly. My problem is that the yarn is soooooo beautiful with a miltitude of incredible colors that I can't find the right pattern for it. First, I thought I would use the pattern that came with it. It's a lovely pattern and it would be beautiful however, it used both balls of yarn at once and I had to keep trying to remember to to the other end of the row and knit again. For someone who has trouble counting a pattern repeat off 4 stitches, this was a definite challenge. Then I decided I would do a horseshoe lace pattern. The problem wiht this was that I couldn't see the pattern really well because the varigations in the yarn are incredible and the pattern got lost in it. Then after talking to my sister (the most amazing knitter) I decided to do a simple open pattern. I thought, hmmmm, that yarn over, knit two together would be nice. Well, being the novice that I am, I didn't realize that I needed to yo K2tog on every row, so I purled back on the wrong side row. This created a very lovely but trapezoidal shaped wrap. I was not happy. So, I tried a couple of other types of stitches K1 YO P2tog K1, which was lovely but a bear to knit back when I made the inevitable mistake. I tried going back to making a simple shawl which was okay but not great. So after about 20 different tries at using this yarn, I think I am finally on my way. I'm back to the YO K2tog on EVERY row......nice and straight, a little open, simple.....very nice.

Tomorrow is the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival and my sister and I are going. I am very excited because it seems like it's a big event in the yarn world. I'll let you know how it goes.

It's been fun being in NYC although I've been a bit under the weather. I did go outside today (unlike yesterday) and it was good to get outside of the apartment. I have been laying low, trying to prevent this cold from growing into something more. I think I've got enough Advil, Halls and Dayquil to get me through.

Carry On (Can you believe Jeffrey won Project Runway??? I thought Ule was the best!)

Lost Posts and Misty

Last week, while sitting in a hotel room in King of Prussia, PA, I spent quite a while typing a blog and I even had a picture......but when the picture started to load, it kept loading forever and ever and ever and I lost everything. I don't even remember what I was writing about at the time but I am going to move on now. With luck, this one will actually make it to publishing.

This is the story of how one person can become slightly insane about a cat......Last week I had to travel for work for the first time. I had made arrangements for Misty (remember her? Here's a picture just in case.)

Misty went to stay with a co-worker and her family. Her son really wants a pet and this was an opportunity to show his parents that he was responsible enough to care for a pet....PLUS he wants to by an iPod and is looking for ways to make the big bucks. So, Misty went to stay with this lovely family in a large house with stairs and more than one bedroom and people coming and going.....a family. Misty is a very social cat and loves having people around. She's not really a lap cat but she does like being in the same room with people. So, it was a nice place for her to be. Anyway, the son and the Dad really fell in love with Misty and want to get a cat if they could find one as cool as she is (I can tell you that just won't happen.) So, in my moment of insanity or estrogen deficiency or something, I thought maybe I was being very selfish where Misty was concerned an that she would be better off with a whole family. I had myself very convinced that this was what would be best for Misty. I talked with the Mom who told me I really should wait until I was a bit less tired to make that decision but that she would talk about it with her husband. I talked to

my Sister........

I talked to

my Mother.........

I talked to

my Cousin.....

and they all said the same thing. Are you crazy? You can't do that! Misty loves you....you are her human....

Sanity ruled.....estrogen kicked in......Misty's home. I'm happy.

A Hint of Fall

Having spent the past 16 years in Florida, I don't even begin to think about cooler weather until the middle to end of October. Life is completely different in Southern California. I know there really isn't a change of seasons in the New England sense of the word but there is definitely a change in the weather. We have had some phenomenal weather...clear, blue skies, cool temps (70's during the day, 60 at night), no humidity......

I was in Newport Beach yesterday trying out the third (yes, third) hair salon. I don't know if this is as much torture for everyone or if it is just me but this has been a horrendous process. I know I was very spoiled by MacKenzie and the whole atmosphere at The Met in Sarasota. MacKenzie was the first hair stylist in my life that actually listened to what I had to say and then told me to relax, that she would do the driving. I was grateful that she took over the management of my very unmanageable hair. I knew that was special but just how special became very clear to me when I came to southern California. Yesterday, I walked into the Salon and was eventually introduced to the person who would be managing my hair cut and color. Well, the color thing is pretty much a no brainer since I have my magic MacKenzie formula with me....thanks MacKenzie! Of course, the So. Cal stylist didn't have all the right shades so she had to go on a hunt for it. I was a little leary fearing she had made a substitute but it turned out fine so I guess she didn't. Anyway, we get to the cut part.......ARRRRGGGHHHH. In reality, it's not too bad for the first day after a cut....talk to me in a few weeks. I have given this a lot of thought though......As a professional nurse of 20 some odd years of experience, I am expected to apply my knowledge and expertise. If a patient is having chest pain, I don't ask....."would you like me to get you some nitroglycerin? or "what are we going to do for you today?" That would not go over well. I am expected to know what to do and then do what is in the best interest of the patient. I expect a similar response from the stylist cutting my hair. This person is reportedly a professional with many years of experience......I want that person to gather the data about the journey my hair and I have been on and then tell me to relax, they have it under control. I don't want to have to tell them how to cut my hair. I don't want to have to tell them that, yep....I do have a lot of hair....yep, it's really thick.....yep, it's curly too. I understand that my standards are a tad high and I have to suffer the consequences of that. Just know, without a doubt, that I will be making an appointment with my beloved MacKenzie when I am home in Sarasota during the Christmas Holidays.......

Anyway, as I started to say, prior to my little soapbox, I drove from Newport Beach to Laguna Beach by the Pacific Coast Highway on my way home yesterday. I am not sure there are many more beautiful pieces of real estate/beach anywhere. It was stunning, breathtaking, awe inspiring and all those other descriptive words that try to describe the indescribable.






Crystal Cove State Park














Laguna Beach









I am lucky.

Cleaning Frenzy

It's a PURGE party at the office and the place is nuts I tell you! I have had to put a force field around my door so that people will not drop their unwanted crap in my office when I am in the bathroom. It is UGLY out there. You see, people have not purged stuff from this office in this century and now it's time. Being one of the three new kids on the block, I don't have a lot of emotional attachement to the stuff. That is not the case with many of the great folks who work here. It's a painful process and it's scarey but it is oh, so good for the soul. I know that everyone will come out much better on the other end of this. I just have to be strong so my office does not become the repository of all things unwanted and "just don't want to get rid of." I will be strong for those who can't.

Carry on.

Blog Hiccup and the state of the world....

I tried and tried to publish the previous blog a few days ago only to discover today that it never went........Technology is wonderful and great when it works, when it doesn't....it is frustrating. Oh well, now it's published.

I don't think I will ever think like a terrorist. It makes me sad that there are people in this world whose entire life's work is devoted to destroying innocent people. I don't understand it, I don't like it, sigh......

Waiting for Pictures.....Life is Good......

The first thing you should know is that there will be no pictures with this blog because I can't remember to put the batteries in the camera when I travel. So....a pictureless blog.

What's been happening in my little world? Well let's see if I can recreate the past month and a half....boy do I stink at keeping up!

It's Been HOT!
First, newsflash....it's been hot. Okay, I know it really hasn't been as hot here as it has been in other parts of the country so I won't go there. We had our fair share of heat and stuff but there was little humidity and it's gone for now. It may get hot again but at the moment it is a beautiful 80 degrees and sunny.

First Cousins Once Removed???? Second Cousins?????
My cousins kids came to visit my Aunt in LA. They made the trek to Orange County so they could go to Laguna Beach. So, one Sunday, we and about 20,000 of our closest friends went to Laguna Beach. (Note To Self.....DO NOT go to Laguna Beach on a weekend between 3 PM and 5 PM and expect to get seated for a late lunch in ANY restaurant!) The kids were great. It was nice to meet them for the first time and I don't think they were really toooooo bored with the whole thing. WAIT.....I DO have pictures of that!

The Cousins in Laguna Beach

The next couple of weeks were uneventful other than I received a new iPod Nano from my sister. It was an awesome birthday gift. I didn't even know I wanted one until I got it. Now, I can't believe how much music I have downloaded. As I go through each day I remember more and more music that I want to put on the iPod.....it's just a matter of remembering it when I am on iTunes. You've got to hand it to those folks at Apple, they have certainly created a whole i......culture. When I was flying back and forth across the country last week, I put the buds in my ears and didn't take them out until we were on our descent into NY. Very nice!

Speaking of flying across the country.......My mother had a birthday last week and we met up in NYC to celebrate. My niece and nephew (E & K) are in camp in the Adirondacks and it was parents weekend. My mother and I went with my sister and brother-in-law to surprise and visit the kids. WOW!!!!! What a Cool place. After flying all night long (see above paragraph...thank you iPod) I arrived at JFK, met my mothers flight and drove into Manhattan. After a couple of hours, we got into the big rental boat and headed north to Lake Placid (yes we went through Ausable...a lovely little town... a picture right about now would be nice wouldn't it?) After about 4 hours in the car, we arrived in lovely downtown Lake Placid. I must say, it was pretty cool seeing all the Olympic sites....the ski jumps, the ice rinks, etc. In honor of the Olympics, every time (yes, I mean every time) we went by the site of the Ice Skating/Speed Skating competition, we sang (hummed, whatever) the Olympic theme.....can you sing it with me now?

Da Da

Da Da Da Da

Da Da Da Da Da

Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da

DA DA

DA DA DA DA

Da DA DA DA DA

DA DA Da DA DA DA DA DA

Okay, you get the idea. After about the 10th or 20th time, I think my mother would have preferred to skip any activity that took us by those venue's. Back to the weekend.

Saturday morning we finally got to go to camp and surprise the kids and boy did we ever. Each one of them was very surprised and couldn't believe that my mother had traveled from Florida and I had traveled from California to spend the weekend with them.

Let me tell you, there is no way that I can adequately describe Camp Treetops. I know that if I could, I would sign up and go to Camp Treetops. It is an amazing place where kids can be kids and learn about all sorts of things creative, crafty, outdoors, camping, fun, community, camaraderie, responsibility....well, just anything that is very cool. The camp is on 200 acres of heaven on earth with so many options available to them that they would have a difficult time getting bored....although they are kids with that built in "bored" gene. Let me tell you, these campers have some amazing innate sense of time. They do not wear watches but all of a sudden, they are lining up for juice and crackers or lunch or council, right on time. It's the most amazing thing. If you want to take a look at the camp go here. Go to the photo gallery and take a look at the fun there is to be had at Camp Treetops. (While I had my camera with my, the batteries for the camera were in the charger in California.)My hats off to the counselors, managers, owners, campers, etc. It is an incredible place to have your kids spend 7 weeks of their life.

After the most amazing weekend with my niece and nephew we traveled back to NYC (and the heat!) As it happened, my brother and his three kids (my nieces and nephew, A, N & C) were in NY for A's basketball tournament. They were playing at Fordham University so off my mother and I went. We got to Fordham (a very lovely college campus smack dab in the middle of the Bronx) and found the gymnasium where they were playing. It was the hottest day of the year and the kids were playing in a gym that was not.....yes that is NOT air conditioned. Well, A's team ended up in the finals and had the privilege of playing in the big gym that still had no AC and was twice as hot! I can't believe the kids played a full game of B'ball in that heat. They were troopers and played as well as they possibly could but in the end, they weren't quite able to pull it out. There are some great players on A's team and they gave it their best.

We headed back to Manhattan and had a nice dinner at the Mermaid Inn and then it was off to bed. Mom and I headed back to the airport at o-dark thirty to return to Florida and California.

That was last week and I am just now recovering. I slept the entire weekend away and am finally feeling human again.

Knitting/crocheting has been a little slow lately. I have such a hard time figuring out what to make. I have decided to make the log cabin quilts from Mason-Dixon Knitting. There is something very satisfying about going around and around in squares watching something grow before you. I have decided to use some of the yarn my nephew E made for me at Camp last year. I have a bunch of yarn from the sheep at Camp Treetops and want to make the Camp Treetops Log Cabin Blanket. I am happy now.

Life is good. It was wonderful to see my family. Work is going well. I am still settling in and I am getting to do things I have never done before. I hope I don't wait another two months before I write again.

I've Got my Car, my new Apartment, and I had a Birthday........Life is Good!

I was going to start this....."No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth...." but I realized that's how I started my last post so I'll have to get more original than that. So how's this.........For glory's sake....I'm living in California now! I've got my car (finally.) It arrived late but unharmed. The lessons learned from driving a rental car for 4 weeks are:

1. When your cousin gives you a guest parking pass to put in your car so you won't get towed, it would be good to remember to take that parking pass out of the rental car. Yes, I left the parking pass in one rental car and when I got back to Rancho Santa Margarita, didn't even realize that said parking pass was missing until I went out to get in my rental car and the car wasn't there. That was probably one of the lowest moments I had during my transition period. I was able to locate the car and for a mere $200 was able to rescue if from the impound lot. Good times, eh?
2. When you rent a car through Hotwire.com, you get a really good deal. The goofy thing is that you have to keep the car in your possession until the day you contracted to return it or you will pay full price....go figure! Seems wierd to me but hey, I don't make the rules, I just try to follow them when I can.
3. I drive a rental car much better than I drive my own car....or maybe it's not better as much as it is more cautious. I think it's the whole if you put a scratch on the car you will have to leave all your worldly possessions with the rental care company in order to leave the airport. I didn't like it at all. I am so much more relaxed in my own car.

I have also moved into my apartment. That whole thing went like clockwork. I took an afternoon off from work and the new bed was delivered, followed by the cable guy, followed by the movers. All was done by 5 PM. The moving van driver, Derrick, was amazing. He was able to maneuver a full size moving van into the narrow driveway of this apartment complex. He totally rocked. By Sunday, I was completely unpacked with only the pictures to hang. I was able to receive visitors that day as my Aunt came over to help........

Yep, that's her, my Aunt, playing on the computer.....My cousin was in severe pain so she was allowed to hang out on the couch!

I love where I live. It is about 5 minutes from work and everything I want shopping wise is just around the corner.

There have been a few difficult adjustments for some members of the family. Misty has expressed her displeasure at being left alone during the day by leaving me special presents in very strategic places (middle of my bed!) For the past few years she has had Mr. McGregor, Maggie or even her cousin Zoey to hang out with (I use that in only the broadest of associations.) I believe, her expression of displeasure last Friday was over the fact that it's just me here....no one/thing else. So I figured I had three options:

• Do nothing and deal with the "presents."
• Get another kitten for her to have for companionship
• Try coming home for lunch since it's only 5 minutes away.

I voted for the third option and have been coming home for lunch this week. So far, so good. I'll keep you posted.

Finally, yes I had a birthday this week. It passed. I survived.

For those of you who need more pictures, here is a picture of my dining room (pre-picture hanging....the picture is up on the wall now.)

I Did NOT Fall Off the Face of the Earth...I Just Moved to California

Here I am, sitting at my cousin's computer (my very generous cousin, thank you!) taking a shot at what may be a very short or a very long entry. Misty (my cat) and Zoey (the resident cat) have just finished yet one more hissing contest to see who actually has the right to sit by the computer. Round #20 to Zoey.....Misty headed off to the litter box. (That will teach me.)

It has been a CrAzY couple of weeks. Misty and I (thank GOD for tranquilizers) flew out from Tampa to John Wayne airport two weeks ago. All in all it went well. Misty hates cat carriers but overall enjoyed the tranquilizers.

I started my new job with the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) the following Monday and I just had my first day off yesterday. Yes, that's almost two weeks of work straight but it was for a good cause. The AACN's annual educational conference was last week and it was held in Anaheim. It was very well attended (6700 critical care nurses) and it was a lot of hard work. It was really good to see it from the operations side as I had only experienced it from the participant side. It will give me some perspective as we spend the next 360 days preparing for our trip to Atlanta in May of 2007. It was also a great time to learn about my co-workers. I know more names now than I would have if I hadn't spent a week being able to look down at a name badge. That was very helpful. I also know that I now need to spend the next 360 days looking for the perfect pair of shoes that will allow me to be on my feet for 12 hours straight in a convention center. Whew....can't say enough about the wonders of ibuprofen.

The rest of my "stuff" is still in Florida....don't get me started about the whole car thing. It is still "waiting to be loaded" in St. Pete. It's been waiting to be loaded for a week. That stinks. Apparently, the first truck broke down. So the long and short of it is that I have a rental car for the near future. I don't know how long, I hope for only another week or so. Furniture stories to follow as they progress.

Yarn stories......The day I headed up to Anaheim, I stopped at the Yarn Lady and picked up a pattern and some lovely light blue Top Soft yarn. I spent some time working on guage swatches and was a few rows into the actual sweater when I had a nice conversation with my sister. The conversation went something like this.....

Me... "So I started a sweater for Mom. I found a nice pattern from Tahki Stacy Charles. It's adorable. It was on the cover of the Spring 2006 pattern book."

Heather..... "Is it the same one I made for Mom? I made one from that pattern book. It's in pink right? I made it in blue."

Me (a little sheepishly because I had actually seen the sweater in question for a brief moment as I was departing Sarasota)....."Yes, it is in pink on the cover. I didn't pick up the pink yarn either because they didn't have the FIJI yarn at the Yarn Lady. I picked up a nice blue yarn, really nice to work with."

Heather....."Yeah...I didn't use that yarn either. I picked up a yarn called Top Soft.....really nice. It looked good and it was nice to work with."

Me (now just a bit nauseous...reaching into my yarn bag)......"Oh my God. I can't believe we did this. I am holding light blue Top Soft in my hand. I am such a knucklehead. It must have been subliminal when I saw the pattern. This is too much."

Heather and I agree that it is a wierd little thing I did there. All I have to say is that I ripped the whole thing out and have started another project with the Top Soft and I'm not telling anyone what it is or who it is for.

I hope you all have a great Memorial Day holiday. I'll keep you posted.

California, Work, Moving, etc.

(This is where I will be working. I have an office with a window....it's one of those on the right, on the second floor)

Wow, time really does fly when you are having fun. Since I was here last I have been to California, found a place to live, finished up a week at work and arranged to have all my stuff moved out West. So, where to start......

California
I made a quick trip to Orange County to find a place to live. I did manage to find a nice place to live. I stressed about it...I mean, it's just a little bit more expensive than Sarasota to live.....$1500 for a 1 bedroom in Ca vs. $1200 for a 2 bedroom in Sarasota.....The other really goofy thing about OC is that many apartments don't come with a refrigerator.....what is up with that? As it turns out, I did find an apartment that does have all the appliances so I don't have to rent them. I am very grateful for that. There are many things about my new place that I really like.

1. The apartment is 1 1/2 miles from work. When gas is $3.36/gallon, that's a VERY good thing.
2. About 100 yards from the apartment are movie theaters, restaurants, Barnes and Noble, Pier One, TJ Max, a grocery store and drug store. That is also a VERY good thing.
3. If you want to see where I'm going to live you can go to http://www.sheaproperties.com/citylights

(This is where I am going to live. There are flowers and real grass......COOL!)

After I got that all settled, my cousin and I went to see our Aunt. We took a nice drive up the Pacific Coast Highway from Laguna Beach to my Aunt's house in Playa del Rey (near LAX.) It was beautiful....(Of course I didn't have my camera with me. What a goofball.)

The trip back from OC had just a bit of excitement. A woman on the flight had a medical emergency and when they asked for anyone with medical experience, I was the only one that moved. The woman was doing better when we arrived in Houston and I hope she was able to get home without difficulty.

Work

Last week was my "last week" at work. It was a bit different because all of a sudden everyone figured out that I was leaving and that I needed to do just one more thing for them before I went. Well, there comes a time when that is no longer possible. It is done now and everyone will go on.

There was a lovely get together at one of the Director's homes which I really enjoyed and appreciated. It was a good run and I had a good time working with the team to open the hospital. At the same time, I am really looking forward to my new job!

Moving

Things are finally coming together with the move. I am always learning something new. Yesterday, I learned how the whole auto transport business works. It's not at all what I thought at all. It's a little stressful trying to figure out the timing of everything but in the end, it will all work out. The furniture is leaving in June. I was able to get it out of storage so I could go through it. It is now residing in the garage so I can sort out the junk.

I Have Tennis Elbow and I Didn't Even Play!

The Super Senior Sectionals in Daytona have come and gone.....Space Coast Won, University Park didn't. CONGRATULATIONS to the great ladies from the Space Coast region. They played some awesome tennis.

I don't even know where to begin. Mom left on Thursday for the trek to Daytona. She traveled by way of the Soli-mobile (sorry no pic) which was a Toyota Sienna Van, totally tripped out with all the bells and whistles, and an extra top of the car luggage things. The van was full of tennis players, tennis rackets, and Soli Dastur the UPCC Super Senior cheerleader extraordinaire.

Friday started off with a Bang....They walked onto the court to play their first match and found themselves looking in a mirror. The opposing team was wearing the same tennis clothes as UPCC. No, it wasn't deliberate but it was freaky

.

This is NOT the University Park Country ClubTennis Team

The next game went a bit better and they pulled off a win. That was a great way to end the day.

Saturday started early for me. I got an early start to Daytona so I could be there for the teams first match of the day at 9:15 AM. It was an uneventful trip except for the little detour off of I-4 due to a very serious accident. I actually arrived at the tennis center before the UPCC players did. The Florida USTA Tennis Center is a very nice facility in the middle of nowhere although it is right across the street from the LPGA. It was a beautiful morning.

The day brought some well fought matches. There were many good shots, lots of deuce points and everal tie breaks. Unfortunately, UPCC did not prevail and were out of contention for the main prize.

Watching Karen and Bernie Finish One Off......Coaches on the Right, Cheerleader in the middle and Teammates on the Left

Luckily, the rain held off until the afternoon match was over.....We had a nice dinner at the LPGA Restaurant then off to bed.

Sunday started quietly as the match wasn't scheduled to start until 11:15 AM. There were some rain delays from the later afternoon matches the day before. This delayed the Sunday morning matches so it was closer to 12:15 PM before they got started. There was a lot of waiting

It was a disappointing day for everyone. There were some great lessons learned however, that will hopefully help them achieve many great wins in Daytona in May.

1. It's not necessarily a good thing to have an undefeated season.
2. It's not good to play against an opponent who wear the same uniforms you do.
3. You don't have to remember the opponents real names, Lola and Rosa will do.
4. You can knit and watch tennis at the same time (Oh, wait, that's not a lesson for them, it's one for me!)
5. Focus, focus, focus.
6. Olive Garden might be a better choice.
7. Tennis pro's are invaluable and will help you do your job as a Team Captain.
8. Pat M. really did deserve to win the Sportsmanship Award/Painting.
9. Soli is a great cheerleader....consistent and very enthusiastic and every team should have their own Soli.
10. Did I mention Focus.

The next month will be spent in private, individual lessons, clinics, partner lessons and psychological training. The Senior team really WILL kick some **** in Daytona in May.

I am proud!

Mom's Off Playing Tennis and I've Got the Dogs....

There's a pile of fur beside me that looks to be two dogs. One is the unflappable Miss Maggie (note the cute picture in the previous post) and the other is the ever serious and responsible (it's really tough being the oldest dog you know) Mr. McGregor. They are a wee bit upset because Mom left with suitcases today and that never bodes well for them. They do not like change and they really don't like when the humans are missing. (They really aren't going to like tomorrow!)


Maggie, McGregor and Mom (She's in the Blue)

So, Mom's off on the first of two Regional Tennis Tournaments in Daytona Beach!!!!
This is the ladies 3.0 Super Seniors. The team came in first in this district and hopefully will come in first in the region. I'll be heading to Daytona Saturday morning to cheer her and the rest of the team on.

The next Daytona trip is in May. She gets to take her own (she's the cap'n you know) ladies 3.0 Senior team to Daytona. That team goes as the undefeated (18 straight matches) champs in this District. They are going to be tough to beat. You have no idea how competitive these "senior" women can be. Anyway, at yesterday's USTA luncheon, Mom got a great trophy for leading the undefeated team. Wicked Cool, eh?

That's it....One official YOU ARE WAY COOL trophy

Now, for a little move update. The airline ticket is purchased.....Misty and I will be flying to California. I just didn't think I could deal with the drive for 4 or 5 days with the cat. I just booked the auto transport company. I didn't know it was so reasonable. I am very impressed. I am just hoping I have my car back in time to be shipped. You see, I took it for it's 10000 mile service (never mind that the odometer read 12, 578...I've been busy.) Things were going along nicely. I got a call around 8:30 AM telling me they were done with my car. I said I would be in after work to pick it up. After lunch I had a voicemail asking me to call about my car. "HMMMMMMM this does not sound good," I think. I bravely pick up the phone and call the dealer and after a few minutes of their favorite game of transfer, transfer, who can lose the caller, I finally got to someone who thought they might talk to me. It seems that, somehow, as everyone was just minding their own business, while my car was allegedly parked in their lot, someone ran into it! EXCUSE ME! Did you say someone ran into it?????? "Why yes, we just wanted you to know we will have a loaner car for you until yours is fixed," they say. Surprisingly, I was okay with all that. I actually only started to freak out after they told me the car wouldn't be ready until late next week. I know there's plenty of time to get my car back and get it to California but that just seems to be pushing it a little. When the reasonable part of my brain kicks back in, I'll let you know.

Until then, it's off to DAYTONA!

Uncles, Moving Dentists and Easter

WOW!!!!! My uncle ran the Boston Marathon today and finished in a great time. I can't imagine running for four hours with twenty-some thousand of your closest running pals and being able to do anything other than fall on the ground and wait for someone to drag me to the side of the road. I think it is phenomenal that he had the drive to train and run and finish. Congratulations to YOU!!!!! YOU ROCK!! I can't wait to hear all about it.

This is my uncle who ran the
Boston Marathon today.

I know it's hard waiting to hear what my current thoughts are about moving to California. First, I AM still going. Although I occasionally have pangs of "I don't wanna we've.....I need some sugar." (shades of my cousins daughter's departure from our house a year ago.) There are some things that just hurt about leaving at the same time there are many things that are joyous about moving and starting this new adventure. I am also amazed that, for a woman who manages to make a lot of decisions every day, I keep changing my mind about things. Should I drive? Should I leave all my stuff here or take it with me? What to do? So, today's thoughts are: Fly....me AND the cat (reservations are made), ship the car, ship the stuff. I am amazingly okay with that (for now.)

I really hate going to the dentist.......I went today because I had a huge crater in my mouth. Now, what you don't know and perhaps have no real desire to know, is that I have had a crater in mouth that is large enough to store nuts for the winter, for a couple of years. The crater is the result of a third root canal on the same tooth, gone bad. Anyway, today was crown day.....another decision....do it now, wait until I get to California. Well, I voted for getting it done today. Now I've been walking around all day long ecstatic that I don't have a crater in the back of my mouth but a little concerned that I keep biting my cheek. Do you forget what to do when your teeth are partially missing? There is so much I don't know about teeth other than I like having them and hate it when they hurt. P.S. - I don't really hate the dentist, he's a nice enough guy and he puts up with my crap.

Easter was quite something this year. I have never done the whole Holy Week services at church before but I have now. I sang in the folk group this year and we sang at Holy Thursday mass (which was one of the most beautiful services I have participated in,) Good Friday services x 2 (Veneration of the cross and prayers around the cross.) They were nice. Holy Saturday x 2. One was a 2-hour Easter Vigil mass which was very nice. It was only disrupted by a young man who got a little overheated and fainted. The other folk group members didn't know I could fly off the little bleachers and down to the alter so fast. The kid was fine and it was a bit of excitement. My voice was gone by the time Saturday night rolled around but it recovered nicely by Sunday. The only problem is that I keep hearing the Litany of the Saints (which we sang beautifully) in my head on a continuous loop but I don't know all the names so I change them. I am a mess.

This is Miss Maggie, my mother's dog. I didn't really have anything to say about her but my sister told me that a blog without pictures is very boring and no one will read it.

Life Got Crazy Real Fast!

In the course of one week, life had become a little intense and nuts. I have accepted a job in California.....Yipee, it's a cool job (I hope) and an amazing opportunity. BUT....now the games have just begun!

• Resigning from my current job......You would think you write a letter, give it to your boss, talk about a potential plan for transitioning your responsibilities (being a department of one, that's a bit tricky) and you would just go on trying to get things tied up. Well, not so.....I have spent the remainder of the week explaining everything over and over and over again about what I am going to do, where am I going to live, and so on, and so on, and so on. That being said, I will miss all these people and that's what makes the explaining so difficult.
• Move my stuff or have a garage sale? This is a decision worth some thought. It's very expensive to move my stuff but....it's my stuff. It would be fun to have new things and not have to move all the junk out there to store in a closet. I'm leaning towards the big garage sale.

Some of My Stuff in Storage.....My sister wanted measurements of some of the furniture way back on the right hand side.......Here they are......some is not so big, and some is a little bigger. What can I say?

• Cat Transportation Have you ever really sat down to think about moving a cat all the way across the country? While Misty doesn't mind riding in the car, I'm not sure 10 hours a day for 4 days is exactly her idea of fun. I'm seriously considering flying her out after I arrive......4 hours of aggravation for her or 4 days. You choose!

In case you were thinking there really isn't that much stuff in the storage room....here are a few more pictures:

Now THAT's a PO'd Cat!

Many of you know that unlike the rest of the family, I am a cat person. I love them and their independence. As a single person, they are a great room mate.....not a lot of talk, little to clean up, not a lot of cooking involved, doesn't get too aggravated when you leave them alone....perfect! Well, I have Misty.....

Isn't she just the cutest thing ever?

Misty is three years old and has tolerated a couple of moves and now lives with 2 dogs. (I'm certain they will be the subject of future posts but for now, I'm sticking with the cat.) She loved it when I moved in to this house because it has a lanai (that's a patio with a screen over it for you non-Floridians) and that's like the biggest room with a window in it for her. What's really cool is that from time to time, other moving objects pass her way (unsuspecting Gecko's) and she tries to get them to play with her. She doesn't understand that they don't like playing hide and go seek when the hiding place is her mouth.....oh well. Anyway, one of Misty's challenges over the past year has been to find a way to get out of the lanai to the other side where there is green grass to eat. Unbeknownst to me, over the past few weeks, she accomplished just that. She managed to push a loose part of the screen out and create a little kitty door to the outside that she has been freely going in and out of for an unknown length of time. She has been very good about not getting caught until the other day when we came in and found her on the outside of the lanai and then all of a sudden she was in the family room.......she's really fast good! So, being the handy person I am, I got the spline and spline tool out and put new spline in to secure the screen. Misty watched with great enthusiasm for a new challenge. The first night she voiced her opinion about the whole confinement thing with great persistence and loudness. If looks could kill, I'd be a trapped Gecko playing Misty's version of Hide and Seek. Not to be outdone by a mere human, she went after the weak point again and successfully loosened the screen enough to get out. Being the human that I am with opposible thumbs and all, I figured more drastic measures had to be taken. As you can see below, an elaborate wall has now been constructed from 12 x 12 tiles and bricks.

The blocked Escape Route

Misty is not pleased.

Can You Speak Cat?

There's a piece that's Missing....

Yesterday, I found out I could create a blog. Today, I can't get to it on the internet with the URL I was given. I must be missing a step.....hmmmmm.....story of my life. Have you ever felt like you were'nt given the same book as everyone else or that yours was missing a chapter on something? That's sort of how I feel right now. I will get it figured out but I will probably have a little swearing and gnashing of teeth before it is all done.

For those of you that don't live in Florida....it's beautiful, sunny, 80 degrees with not a cloud in the sky and a slight breeze. Sorry.

Here's a picture that I would have included in yesterday's post but I didn't know how to do it then.....I do now. (See I am learning!)

(Kathleen, Bridget and Me dining in Long Beach)

Holey Moley.....All she Wanted to Do was Post a Comment on Another Blog......

So, I'm sitting here answering some email when my cousin sends me her Mom's and Brother's blog address. I go for a visit and lo and behold, I end up with my own blog......So, now I'm sitting here wondering if it's going to be good enough, will anyone actually read it or what? So many things going on.

Just returned from OC for a job interview. Interview was great! OC was very nice, having only been to LA, Long Beach, etc. OC was like another world. Well, of course, after the all day job interview there was enough time left to go to the largest yarn store I have ever been to. The Yarn Lady in Laguna Hills is an amazing place. I could have spent a lot of time and money there but limited transport space prevented overindulgence.

Had a great time with my Cousin and Aunt. It's nice to have family you like in a place you are thinking about moving to.

As soon as I figure out what I'm doing with this blog, I will definitely write more.
Mary Pat