Catching up

I know it’s been a while since I’ve posted.  I really have no excuses.  I guess that’s a good thing…that means I’ve been really busy, right?  Nonetheless, I’m back today.  I will do a better job of posting – Scout’s honor!

I thought I’d create a list of 5 things I really want right now just to get things going. 

1.  COOL weather.  Apparently, a cool front will be here in sunny south Florida this weekend.  I can’t wait for highs in the low 80’s…  I know, you have no sympathy for me.  I live in Paradise, so I’ve heard.  Sure, if I lived in Fargo I would probably be hoping for a little sunny south Florida weather…but I don’t.  Therefore, I’ll wish for cool weather. 

2.  I really would like it if someone would come up with some no-calorie, no-fat, no-unhealthy-anything pizza.  Pizza is one of my favorite foods and I make it about as healthy as you can – using reduced fat cheese and lots of veggies…but sometimes, I just want the real thing.  It would be the same with hamburgers, fries – basically anything considered unhealthy or fattening but I won’t be greedy.  I’d just like a healthy pizza today.

3.  I’d really like a new car.  My 2005 Suburban is still fine, don’t get me wrong.  However, as long as I’m wishing…I’m wishing for a new car.  I want something a little sportier (wouldn’t that be basically any other car than a Suburban?) and something that wouldn’t guzzle so much gas.

4.  I would like Aggie, my almost-11-year-old daughter, to pick up after herself and put everything where it goes after she’s used it.  Oh, I almost forgot…without me asking!  That’s the clencher.  I ask and ask for her to pick things up.  It’s just her nature though.  She’s like Hansel and Gretel – wherever she goes, she leaves a trail behind her – only it’s not because she needs to find her way out of the forest. 

I have to add a disclaimer here.  Of course, I’d like world peace, as well as no more environmental pollution or polar ice deterioration, and even no more abused animals and children.  However, this is a “for fun” list…so there you go. 

5.  With that said, I’d like my own personal chef.  Sure, the chef could create meals (and healthy snacks) for the rest of the family – that would be fine.  Wouldn’t it be great to have someone do all of that thinking and preparing for you and your family?  What a time saver.  A girl can dream, can’t she?

Now that I’ve put together my list of 5, what are yours?  Come on…just give me 1!

(P.S.  The disclaimer applies to you too!)

 

I’d like to teach the world to sing

…in perfect harmony…  grow apple trees and honey bees and snow white turtle doves…

Remember that song?  For me, it always brings back memories of the 1970’s commercial for Coca-Cola.   That is something Coke does well – marketing.

We participated in one of Coke’s more interesting marketing strategies while in Atlanta, Georgia recently – The World of Coca-Cola (aka The Coke Museum).  This is not a place to go if you dislike pop culture or Coke products.   On the other hand, it’s a fun place to explore and enjoy some memories.   However, it does feel as if you are walking through one giant Coke commercial, so be prepared.

my favorite pop art!

a little nostalgia

 

even the exterior is artistic

an ode to Texas

American Gothic, Coke-style

Have a Coke and a smile!

 

Georgia Aquarium

I can’t believe summer break is already over and school is back in session.  We took a vacation just a few short weeks ago to Atlanta and Nashville.  Actually it was a road trip from South Florida!  We had a great time on the drive there since it seemed to pass quickly. The drive back home was much different -it seemed to last forever.  I guess we were so excited to get to our destinations on the way to Georgia and Tennessee that time passed quickly.  

One of our favorite parts of our trip was the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.  It was just amazing.  The whale sharks are awesome.  If I remember correctly, there are 4 there.  They are enormous (17 – 22 feet long now) but are also so gentle.  I just stood there watching them for at least 20 minutes.  It was very relaxing to watch the tank where the whale sharks were.  First of all, it’s huge so there is no bad view.  Secondly, it’s just beautiful.  There is a variety of fish, rays, and sharks to watch as they swim around.  We timed it so that we could watch the feeding of the whale sharks which was very interesting.  I also enjoyed the beluga whales.  One of the volunteers told us that you can hear them communicating in the evenings or mornings when there are no visitors and they appear to watch the visitors as much as the visitors watch them!  I highly recommend this aquarium – I believe it is the top-rated aquarium in the nation.  

I thought I’d share a few of my favorite pictures from the aquarium.

 

 

cute little fish

 

 

hammerhead shark

a wobbegong shark

a whale shark

Awesome  – they really are gentle giants.

 

Technorati Tags: georgia,aquarium,sea,creatures,life,atlanta,vacation,family,trip,whale shark,shark,hammerhead,fish,aquatic

 

Ready to roll

Today we are getting ready for a road trip! 

We’re heading to Atlanta for a day where we will visit the Georgia Aquarium as well as Coca-Cola World  – and whatever else we can fit in.  I’ve never been to Atlanta so I’m really looking forward to seeing the city.  After Atlanta, we’re on our way to Nashville, Tennessee to visit family.  We will have our two dogs in tow for the trip too, so I hope all goes well.  I’ve got my fingers crossed.

If only they are THIS calm…

If you have any last-minute suggestions for Atlanta, let me know!

Just thought I’d share a website with travel games for the car if you are traveling with kids. 

I’ve already printed out a few for our trip.  http://www.momsminivan.com/

 

America, the Beautiful

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
The Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776

 

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you.
Dick Cheney

 

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.
Erma Bombeck

 

Little Life Tips

My sister-in-law (and great friend) sent this to me yesterday.  She knows I appreciate good advice and this list is full of wisdom.  I thought I’d pass it on.

 

“To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written. My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:”

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer,  Cleveland ,  Ohio

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument.  Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ”In five years, will this matter?”.
26. Always choose life.
27. Forgive everyone everything.
28. What other people think of you is none of your business.
29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.
30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
31. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
32. Believe in miracles.
33. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
34. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
35. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
36. Your children get only one childhood.
37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d
grab ours back.
40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
41. The best is yet to come.
42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
43. Yield.
44. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

 

Fins

Yesterday we went fishing – in the Atlantic ocean.  That still sounds strange to me having lived in Texas all of my life before moving to Boca two years ago.  Unfortunately, we didn’t catch many fish; we only caught a remora. 

If you aren’t familiar with remoras, it’s the fish that you see attached to sharks.  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, if you know Jimmy Buffett’s song, “Fins,” you’ve heard the reference to remoras:

Chorus:

Can’t you feel ‘em closin’ in, honey

Can’t you feel ‘em schoolin’ around

You got fins to the left, fins to the right

And you’re the only girl in town

  

Sailed off to Antigua

It took her three days on a boat

Lookin’ for some peace and quiet

Maybe keep her dreams afloat

But now she feels like a remora

‘Cause the school’s still close at hand

Just behind the reef are the big white teeth

Of the sharks that can swim on the land

  

I have a confession to make about this song.  I only found out recently that the song is about “fins.”  For years, I sang, “…dance to the left, dance to the right…”  It seemed to work at the time.  I also never knew what a remora was until we were saltwater fishing last summer and once again, caught a remora.  I makes me wonder if sharks are nearby when remoras are all that are caught!

It was still a fun day even though the fish weren’t cooperating.