Thoughts and Prayers needed

Today we were notified my grandmother has AML (acute myeloid leukemia). The doctor seems optimistic and wants to start chemotherapy ASAP. Please keep my grandmother and family in your thoughts and prayers in the coming weeks. They expect to do chemo every day for 4-6 weeks to bump it into remission, I'm hoping this does the trick, I hate to see anyone go through this, especially a family member :(

Thanksgiving Cruise

Sunday November 21, 2010

Georgia/Florida

We met up with my mom, stepdad and younger brother in Stockbridge, GA at my cousins house to begin our trek to Cape Canaveral, FL (Big thank you to Jamie and Richard for allowing me to keep my car at your house during our trip).  We arrived in Cape Canaveral around 6:30-7:00pm and checked into our hotel - - Radisson: Resort at the Port. 

This is the same hotel Hardy and I used for our honeymoon, if you stay 1 night, they allow you to park your car there for the length of your cruise for FREE - - big plus.  Well...when we got settled into our rooms, I noticed these little bugs crawling all over everything WOOD in the room, weird right?  I couldn't even identify them.  They moved like ants but they didn't look like ants....anyway, as we headed out for some dinner, I stopped in the lobby to complain.  They moved Hardy and I to another room and comp'd our stay (thankfully). 

Monday November 22, 2010

Boarding the Monarch of the Seas

The next morning we all got up and went for the complimentary breakfast, then waited for our turn to get on the FREE shuttle to the port.  We were aboard the ship by 1:15pm.  We ate in the buffet and then checked out our rooms.  We had rooms side by side which made it very convenient throughout the cruise.

This time I wore a seasick patch because my mom had some extra and because you never know how one cruise can differ from the next.  I am so glad I did....don't get me wrong I still love cruising but we either hit some rough waters or our captain was hawling butt.  That first night we were rocking pretty good every so often.  Unfortunately it was getting to my mom and stepdad pretty bad.  I think they would have enjoyed the cruise a little more had the motion not played a part in it.

Tuesday November 23, 2010

Coco Cay, Bahamas

Wednesday November 24, 2010

Nassau, Bahamas

I didn't have any pictures from Nassau with my camera unfortunately but there weren't many pictures taken anyway.  Unless you LOVE to shop and have lots of money, there isn't much to do there except go on an excursion which we didn't do.  We did, however, do a 25min horse and carriage ride around the city, our guide was very nice and comical.  We also stopped at Athena Cafe on Bay St in Nassau and had a few drinks....they made some amazing banana daiquiri's...ohhh soo yummie.  After we were done sight seeing, we went back aboard the ship and watched Grown Up's on the big screen.

Thursday November 25, 2010

Day at Sea - Happy Thanksgiving

We woke up, ate breakfast, went and played a few games of BINGO and we didn't win ::Cries::.  Then we watched Toy Story 3 on the big screen.  Later that afternoon we met in the Casino..I won $120!!  But only walked away with $50.  Either way, I feel I accomplished a win :)  That evening we had a delicious Thanksgiving Dinner (yes even cruise lines acknowledge the holidays)..glazed ham and turkey oh so good. 

Friday November 25, 2010

Disembarkation / Universal Studio's / Islands of Adventure

We learned from our Honeymoon cruise that it really pays off if you carry your own luggage off the ship the day you disembark because you get off the ship first and can go on about your day.  We were off the ship by 8:15am and back at the hotel. 

We headed for Universal (thanks to our friend Becca in FL for the hook up on tickets!!).  I assumed it would be packed being a holiday weekend but definitely underestimated the real amount.  We started for the Universal park first, never waited more than 10mins for a ride it was great - - not to mention it was overcast all day and we had a nice breeze.  My mom and stepdad didn't go with us to the park, they got a hotel room and watched the Auburn/Alabama game (WAR EAGLE!!).  So Trevor, Hardy and I enjoyed the day to ourselves.

Hardy, Doc from Back to the Future and Trevor

 This is one of my favorite pictures!!

Hardy with Hogwarts in the background 

Entrance to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter 

Hogsmeade with Hogwarts in the background 

Hogwarts!

We figured out the trick to riding the most popular rides at any theme park is going in the SINGLE riders line.  It's not like you have a conversation with the people you're with on a ride anyway.  We managed to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey in 20mins, whereas the regular line was a 1.5hr wait.  All in all we had a great time but we were all very tired by nightfall.  We spent the night at a beautiful Holiday Inn right near Universal. 

Saturday November 27, 2010

Florida/Georgia

We left Orlando around 8:30am and headed home.  Hardy and I arrived home around 4pm...we REALLY missed our cats and it appears they missed us too.  I think they had too many treats while we were gone though because we've found a few spots where they've thrown up :(  and Tinker Bell isn't darting for the food bowl like she normally would.  Hopefully things will be back to normal in a couple of days. 



A haircut and have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

I got my hair cut yesterday, about five inches were chopped off. I have been using the same hair stylist for about six years now and she always does a great job. I love getting my hair cut...it makes me feel like an entirely new person. My head feels a lot lighter too. Now to things to be thankful for..God, my wonderful husband, my family, my friends, having the job I do. Having a roof over my head, food to eat...the list could go on. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday.

^^....MEOW....^^

A day in the life of MUAH...
 
Allow me to introduce myself, I am Tinker Bell (aka Princess Tinker Bell to those who matter).  I am 6.5yr old CALICO feline (not to be confused with a tortoiseshell).  CALICO is not a breed but rather a color pattern, I still like to categorize myself as such.  Did you know that CALICO feline's are almost always female?  This is because male feline's carry 1 X and Y chromosome, the Y chromosome has no color genes so there is no chance a male feline could have orange and a non-orange coat.  If a male is born CALICO this means he has a genetic mutation and carries 2 X chromosomes and one Y chromosome and would be sterile.
 
Now that I've taught you all something...let's move back to me.
 
From the photo you can see I have a beautiful white, orange and black coat, I weigh in at a "petite" 18lbs and I love everything to do with ME. I live in my kingdom with my mommy and daddy, or my servants...however you prefer to identify them, as well as my nephew, Flower.  I live inside only, although occasionally I wish I could break out of here.  1600sqft is a lot of space, but there's so much more out there in the big bright world - my servants never let me out (shame on them).  They always babble something like "No Princess,  you can't go outside, there are dogs who will chase you or other animals who could attack you!".  Whatever...what do they know?
 
I spend most of my days resting, you know every Princess needs her beauty rest.  Anywhere I want to sleep, I sleep.  In a box, on my servants bed, on the stairs, couch, chair, rug...the list goes on.  Any idea why my servants get a bigger bed than I do?  I generally sleep on it with them but can't you tell I deserve a bed fit for royalty??  Anyways, when I'm not sleeping, I am eating...or drinking...or wrestling/playing with Flower. 
 
Until next time my dearest fans....until next time.
 
~"A cat can be trusted to purr when she is pleased, which is more than can be said for human beings." - William Ralph Inge

Weekend

Visiting Alabama


Last Friday after work Hardy and I drove to my mom's in Birmingham. We thought we'd get a nice kickstart to the trip by leaving straight from work instead of going home and packing - - well we were wrong. The traffic right at Atlantic Station on 85 was awful. We finally got on I-20 but were stuck at Post Rd due to some major accident...it was awful. We crawled for about an hour and only went about 1mi. Once the wreck was cleared and we did speed up there was nothing to be said for the accident - - no evidence, no cops...it was crazy.

Saturday, mom and I got up and went to JCPenny to get Hardy a new shirt/tie for his suit and I found a cute little black dress to wear on formal night. While we were gone, Phillip (stepdad), Trevor (younger brother) and Hardy watched some football on TV, then went outside and tossed a football back and forth. Of course we watched College football for a good portion of the day after our shopping venture. I was surprised I sat through it all. For dinner we had steak, baked potato and grilled onions - - it was sooooo delicious. My mom, Phillip and Trevor just moved into this new house about a month and a half ago - it is absolutely beautiful. All sides brick, 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bath, 2 car garage...I just love it. They have everything decorated so nicely too...makes me feel like my house is all hodge podge! Seems like the less items you have, the cleaner it looks too. If all you have is basic (meaning the stuff you ACTUALLY use and sit on) furniture and things hung on the walls, there's less to pick up!


Countdown to the cruise

Next Sunday we'll be headed to Port Canveral, FL. I'm excited but not quite 100%. I'm always a late bloomer in terms of excitement. It will generally hit me the day before, definitely the night of and the day of. Usually I have a hard time sleeping the night before we're leaving to do something. It's so silly, I can even remember being excited about Six Flags?!? Oh the things that make you happy....

On our way home, we're planning to stop at Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure to check out The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Hardy's read the series I don't know how many times, we own all of the movies...and of course we'll see the new one due out Friday. It should be fun though, I plan to take a lot of photo's. From what I understand it's pretty accurate in terms of things being recreated.

6 months

Well it totally passed by and I didn't even realize it until yesterday....guess that's what happens when you've been with someone for so long ::ha ha ha::

Monday November 8, 2010 marked our 6 months of being married.  Even though we've been together 10 1/2 years it still brings butterflies to my stomach to SAY we're married (finally) :)

Christmas tunes & Holiday spirit

I will admit I am going to miss the traditional Thanksgiving dinner ((broccoli casserole, squash casserole, pumpkin pie, green beans, corn, rolls, sweet tea, turkey, ham, mac n cheese..the list goes on)) - - but I know when we're on the cruise ship, we won't miss it THAT much. Besides, they serve Thanksgiving food on Thanksgiving - - it may not be as good as grandma's but it'll do. 13 days until we set sail :)

Even though some people can't STAND IT or think it's TOO EARLY, I have been listening to Christmas tunes occasionally at work. It just gets me in the spirit and keeps me happy. If that's all it takes to put a smile on my face some days - - who cares, right?

Yesterday I went Christmas tree shopping and of course, came back empty handed. I would like to have a REAL tree but when I can spend the same amount on a tree that can last me several years instead of 1 -- obviously the faux tree wins. Our last tree was from Wal-Mart, a decent 5 1/2ft pre-lit for $25, the only reason I ditched it is because Tinker Bell has attempted to climb the tree and bent the entire lower tier. I'm sure she'll accomplish the same again this year but still...I can't go a Christmas without a tree. Unlike a lot of tree's I've seen, I don't have a theme, it's a compilation of childhood ornaments I made or ones that were always my favorite. I even have my great grandmother's star tree topper. I just like the way our tree looks -vs- some decorated tree out of a catalog.


No matter how stressful it seems the holiday's turn out to be, every year I still look forward to it. The fellowship with friends, visiting family I haven't seen in a while (most of the time since the previous Christmas), seeing people's reactions when they open gifts. I won't lie, I like receiving gifts but I get more out of watching people open mine. I try not to "buy on the fly" and actually put thought into my gifts, although the past few years with money as tight as it's been - it's very hard to personalize things. It's so much quicker to just grab a gift card and go on about your day.

It's over

After 14 nights....Halloween was our final night of Rot N. Rusty's Haunted Attraction.  This year was a very successful year with 18 customers peeing themselves, several were close to passing out and we got tons of POSITIVE reviews.  I had the privledge of working outside so I was able to walk through the que as well as go to the backdoor and listen to customer's tell us about the haunt.  It made me proud to be a part of such a cool event.  Now we get to rest a week and then strike begins.  I met a lot of cool new people this year and got closer to some I've known from years past.  It truly is special how such a temporary thing can make changes in you. 
 
With that being said, I am happy it's over.  I don't know how much more I could have taken....it's so tiring doing this weekend after weekend.  
 
My BFFLADYFI - Tabitha volunteered Friday night with her sister, Madison, cousin, Megan and another co-worker of ours, Kristin.  They were zombies outside in the graveyard and I was so proud of them - - their sound effects were awesome :)  I wish they would have been able to help more.
 
21 days til our Thanksgiving Cruise!