My Bahamas Trip

My Bahamas vacation last week was fantastic. It was the most relaxing yet fun packed vacation I have ever had. We were a little nervous about the weather as Hurricane Ike was originally headed for our destination. Luckily for us, he changed directions and we ended up just having some wind. It all started Monday 09/08 when we arrived there at noon. The Sandals resort we stayed at upgraded our room to a concierge room and greeted us with Champagne. We were able to enjoy a buffet luncheon at the Spices restaurant. We even went swimming and of course drank at the swim up bars. The drinks there were so strong and it didn’t take much to get us lazy. We took a quick nap as we had been up since 2:00 AM. We almost slept through dinner time but luckily were able to catch dinner at Casanova. They had a Junkanoo Band walk around playing. The costumes they wore were very colorful. We headed to the Piano Bar where Heston entertained us with his excellent playing abilities and fun personality. He referred to Ken and me as “The Virginias”. We sang along with his songs and before we knew it, it was midnight.

Day 2 – Breakfast started at the Spices buffet. They had so many different choices that you could have something almost every day of the week. While at breakfast, Samantha came to visit our table and started talking to us about this and that. She found out that Ken and I have been together for 6 years and started giving him a difficult time about “what u waiting for?” After breakfast, we went to the pool and caught some rays and swam and drank and we even played some pool volleyball! Our team lost but we had a great time. They had activities going on throughout the day to get the guests involved. It was great. Ken caught a few too many rays and got a little sunburned. We traveled to the downtown area on the main bus. It cost $1 per person each way. It seemed to be the cheapest transportation around. Downtown we visited the Straw Market. For those of you that haven’t experienced it, it is a trip. All of the vendors are trying to sell you THEIR product and they try to wheel and deal with you. We ate dinner at the Crystal Room. The food was excellent! That night the entertainment was Hot Latin Nights. They had some Latin dancers perform and then get the crowd going. Ken was up on stage shaking his bootie. Woohoo! Shake it baby!

Day 3 – Breakfast was again at the Spices buffet. We took the boat over to the Sandals Cay (pronounced Key). They had a pool with a swim up bar and a whirlpool there along with plenty of seating/lounge chairs for the guests. On the opposite side of the island, they had more lounge chairs so you could sit on the beach. Ken and I took our snorkeling gear over there and went snorkeling. The water was so calm and we were able to see some interesting fish along with some sea urchins. Ken said to stay away from them as they hurt. We were able to hold hands as we snorkeled. We even snorkeled over to another island that happened to be a little rocky. Of course, 2 seconds after Ken tells me to be careful, I slipped on the rocks and scrapped my behind. It wasn’t bad though. We ate lunch at the restaurant called Goombay over on the island. The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the island and relaxing at the pool. Before dinner, we went to the pool area and enjoyed a local singer that performed romantic love songs. Ken and I danced on the Terrace. That night, Ken had arranged for us to have a romantic dinner for 2 on the beach. It was a little windy and dinner ended up being on the pier. The table looked great with the flowers and candles however, the butler had a hard time keeping the candles lit. It ended up being pretty dark and our source of light was the almost full moon. After dinner, Ken asked me to walk to the end of the pier with him. Once we got there, he told me he had a question to ask me and then he proposed. And yes….. I said “Of course”?!!!! He told me he was scared to ask me over dinner as since it was so dark, he didn’t want to drop the ring down between the slats of the pier. It was so romantic.

Day 4 – Breakfast at… yep, you guessed it… Spices! We told Samantha about our engagement and she screamed and was so happy for us. She ran out and grabbed some flowers and came back to our table and started singing Congratulations to us. She kept hugging us. Ken and I then went for a kayak ride and that was very relaxing. We caught the 12:00 snorkeling trip and while out there saw both jellyfish and a stingray. There were so many fish there to see. It was awesome. We ate lunch at the Royal Café Grill and then headed to Atlantis on Paradise Island via the lovely cheap bus service. Once we got to the water taxi there was a taxi driver that told us that no more water taxi’s were running today because it was too slow and that he could take us there for $10.00. The water taxi was $3.00 per person. Well, then another guy calls us over and tells us that the taxi driver is lying to us and that they have a water taxi heading over in about 20 minutes. Well, the taxi driver didn’t like that so they started a huge argument. They were calling each other many names. After our quick tour of Atlantis we went to take the water taxi back to catch the bus and an old guy told us to “chill” as we were hoping to catch one at 6:00. No one there is in a hurry unless you are a tourist trying to catch the last bus back to the resort at 6:30. ha ha Luckily (again) we made it back in time. We had dinner at the Baccarrat restaurant. I tried duck and veal. We made our way back to the piano bar after dinner where again, Heston entertained us. I told him that since it was 9/11 in the states that a great song would be “What the world needs now”. Not too many people knew it so I ended up singing a solo. How embarrassing. Brittney had baby Jamielyn and I became a nana again!!!

Day 5 – Breakfast at Spices! Played beach volleyball and swam and relaxed catching some sun. Ken and I took a sailboat out for a ride. First time for both of us. Captain Agee did an excellent job in guiding us in our journey. We ate lunch at the Royal Café Grill and then prepared to go on our sunset sail. The Flying Cloud was a 50’ catamaran and the sail was awesome. It took us up around Paradise Island and by some other really cool Cay’s/Islands. We learned that in order to be considered a Cay, that it had to be at least 1 mile and have vegetation on it…otherwise it was considered a rock. The Bahamas consists of 700 islands and cays. After the wonderful sunset cruise, we went back to the resort and listened to the jazz band that was performing.

Day 6 – Departure Day. L We packed up and then headed over to the Sandals Cay to take some pictures and then headed to the mini straw market for some souvenirs. The majestic tour driver that took us back to the airport gave us a quiz about our Bahamian knowledge and we ended up with over a trillion points. Ha ha We was very entertaining.

That concludes our wonderful relaxing vacation. It has taken me about a week to recover and still haven’t gotten back into the groove of things. I want to give a special thanks to Ken who made my trip the best ever. I love you, honey!

Tropical Storm Hannah

I forgot to mention that we had Tropical Storm Hannah hit here today. We had a lot of rain and some winds. Unfortunately, the wind happened to knock down a tree that hit a power line that supplied power to our house. So, we lost power for about 3 hours. Luckily, we are safe and the weather is absolutely beautiful here now.

Long time No blog

Where oh where did the time go? I just looked and saw my last post was almost 5 months ago. I guess that is what happens when summer arrives. It has been an awesome summer and I have been fortunate enough to be able to spend a lot of time at the pool. My tan is looking awesome. I worked hard on getting a tan because I think that brown flubber looks better than white. :) Also this summer we have gotten to know our neighbors quite a bit. We live in an awesome neighborhood and they are always so friendly. Recently I have been practicing snorkeling in my pool. Ken and I are heading to Nassau, Bahamas on Monday! We have been keeping a very close eye on Hurricane Ike. Originally it was scheduled to hit there on .... yep.... Monday. But thanks to everyone and their prayers (I think I asked a hundred ppl to pray for me good weather), Ike has now diverted further South and the weather looks better. I will be sure to post some pictures of my vacation on my Picasa web album and maybe a few on here as well. For those of you that would like to look at my web album, it can be found at www.picasaweb.google.com/chatstasy Also this summer, Ken and I took a weekend trip to the Outer Banks. It was so nice to finally get away even if it was for just a weekend. In October, I will be heading to SLC, UT. My 2nd granddaughter is due in about 2 weeks and so I will be traveling there to visit all my family. So, that is a quick update. Nothing too exciting. Hopefully when I return in a week, I can get those pictures posted for all to view. Mwah!

It's a Girl

I just got notice today that I am going to be a proud nana of another baby girl. I am so excited. She is due in September. Isn't life amazing?

Do the shoes really make a difference?

I like to think of myself as a pretty versatile person. I can dress in jeans on casual Fridays and weekends and then love to dress up on the weekdays at work. I guess I am not totally casual as you usually won't see me in a t-shirt unless I am doing housework. I purchased three pairs of high heel shoes. Two of them have what I believe are 3 or 4 inch heels. Every time I put them on, I get comments about my "come do me" shoes (putting it nicely). Do high heels really make a difference in how the opposite sex view us? George Michael sings a song that says "Sometimes the clothes do not make the man". Is the same true with women? Why are we so judged on what we wear? Does the opposite sex really like to see us all dressed up with heels and does it really have an affect on them? I guess the world will never know. I assume it depends on the man. I will continue to wear them as they make me feel so girly.

Now to change the subject and update you on what is going on. Ken and I close on our first joint rental property this Friday. I am so excited. Hopefully it will end up being a profitable adventure. Our realtor is awesome and has already been showing the place to possible tenants. As with most investment properties, the house needs some work. I will be painting all next weekend and hoping to get it completely done by Sunday night.

I became a member of Planet Beach. That is a tanning spa. I use the word "spa" as it has other things there besides the normal tanning beds. I can spend 20 minutes in a Hydro-Fusion bed which is basically a steam bed. It makes you feel so good when you get out. They also have a water massage bed and then a massage chair. I plan on pampering myself there each day.

I hope everyone is doing well. Thanks for keeping in touch.

Hugs!

This and That

I realize it has been a while since I have written anything so I will use this time to update those inquiring minds that want to know.....

For my birthday, Ken gave me an ab lounger. I love it. I have used it almost every single night. I still need to watch the video to make sure I am doing it correctly but I hope it helps. We have also decided to try this low carb high protein thing to get ready for the pool this summer. I will have to do research to see what is allowed and what I have to give up. Oh I do hope that liquor is on the OK list. ;) That is not all Ken got me for my birthday. If I didn't mention this other gift, he would go nuts. He said that it wasn't a very exciting personal gift so he got me a Vera Wang purse. I love the purse. I did feel bad that he got me so much. I think he went overboard.

Work is going well. I had the opportunity to go out in the field and look at some of our model homes. It has given me the itch to try to update Ken's house. I want to start painting. I love painting but I really hate coming up with the color because if it doesn't look right, I have no one to blame but myself. I am sure I will keep searching for that color for a few weeks still.

I have been reading "A New Earth" by Eckert Tolle. I heard about it on Oprah and have even viewed her webinars. It really is a good book but the first chapter really requires your attention. Hopefully finding my inner being and learning how to be in the now will make me a better person. My Glamour magazine arrived the other day so I am sure I will be reading it soon too. I have to find out "PSSST! Why guys love your body EXACTLY as is". ;)

I will be heading to Utah in October by myself. I am going to be a grandma again and will be able to spend some time with my kids and their families. I am planning on heading to Cedar Point this summer too. I love rides....sometimes the wilder the better.

Well, that updates you on what is going on. I hope everyone is well and I look forward to hearing from or seeing you.

Fish Oil pill? Not for me.

This past week I was watching fox news and the doctor on it said that Fish Oil is actually beneficial in helping you raise your metabolism. I figured I could use that, after all, I am always freezing and I could afford to lose a lot of weight. I decided to give it a try. I took one first thing in the morning before heading to work. Man o' man did I get sick. After about an hour, my stomach started cramping and felt like it was doing flips in my tummy. I tried many things to get it to calm down. I drank milk and ate tums. Still, I continued to feel sick. Somehow I managed to stay at work all day despite the symptoms I was having. I kept telling myself, this HAS to go away soon. Well, it didn't. The next day I got up to go to work and I still felt sick to my stomach. It wasn't just a sick feeling, I was feeling nauseous along with other symptoms that I won't mention here. Needless to say, I didn't make it the entire day at work. I went home and drank tons of water trying to get this oil flushed out of my system. It took two full days for that pill to stop having the effects on me that it had. Even still on day 3 my stomach is still sensitive and when I see Ken pop a fish oil pill, I want to puke. Literally! I have always known that I have a very sensitive stomach but a small little pill making me ill for so long? Now THAT is one powerful pill. When people tell me to try taking it later in the day, I simply look at them and say "NO WAY! Are you crazy?" I have always had a dislike for seafood. The most I have ever tasted at a single time is one bite. I really feel that I have an allergy to it and maybe that is why I couldn't handle this simple pill.

Looks can be deceiving

Have you ever looked outside and thought....wow, the sun is shining, the sky is blue and clear and it looks like a fantastic day. So you go outside and take one step and your body goes.... ARE YOU CRAZY??? Have you lost your freakin' mind? You think THIS is warm? Your brain suddenly catches up and you think DANG it's c-c-cold out here!! Now why would mother nature play a joke on us like that? As most of you know from reading my blogs, I am always cold and the past two days here have been very deceiving. Maybe I should just learn to dress warmer in these colder months. But NO, I am in protest! I am protesting the cold weather. I doubt it will do me any good but hey, it gives me something to do, right? Anyway, I hope that everyone is enjoying the cold deceiving days of winter with a smile on your face and an few extra quick steps when you head outside to keep you warm and get you to where you are going faster.

Pampered myself

Today was a day to semi-pamper myself. What I mean by pampering is that I went to MAC and got a makeover. I know for guys that is zzzzzzzzz boring but for a woman, it is a so nice to have someone take care of you. I keep telling everyone I am looking for a sugar daddy. One that will "pamper" me. By that I mean one that will say, "Honey, you've worked hard all week, why don't you go get your nails done. My treat" Am I living in a dream world? I am a Pisces and we are dreamers so I won't be offended if anyone agrees that I do. However, don't get me wrong. I do work hard and I earn my own money and pay my own rent and bills and buy my own clothes. What's wrong with occasionally wanting someone to treat me to something "girly" once in a while?

Germaphobic?

They say (whoever "they" are) that sometimes exposing yourself to a few germs is good for you. It allows your body to build up immunities to them. This makes some sense to me but on the other hand, if you KNOW that a germ is close at hand, why not do what you can to prevent coming in contact with it? I don't think I am a total germaphobic but I do take certain precautions to make sure I don't expose myself to all germs. Just recently we had a family member get the flu. Having the flu is NOT fun. So, instead of exposing myself to the germs that I know exist in the household, we have gone to measures to try to cut down on the germs. A friend of mine laughed when I mentioned that we had purchased the Clorox wipes and Lysol spray and went through and wiped down all the door handles, refrigerator handles and light switches (etc) and sprayed the Lysol around. We also wash our hands and put the anti-bacterial stuff on constantly. I don't think that makes me a germaphobic. I think that makes me smart. I do think that sometimes I go to extremes with it though. When I walk into the grocery store, I always wipe the cart handle down with wipes before touching it. If I have to touch a handle to get into a store, I always touch it in place where I don't think too many people grab it or if possible, slip my shirt/jacket down over my hands before having to touch it. I will use my feet to push open a door if possible. I am a FIRM believer that one should wash their hands A LOT. Does all this make me a germaphobic? I don't think so. I just do what I can to protect myself form picking up some unnecessary disease. Give me your opinion. What do you think?

Yesterday I attended a funeral for one of my best friend’s father. Funerals are never an easy thing. You don’t really know what to say to the person that has lost their loved one. The best you can do is show your support by letting them know you are there for them. It got me thinking, do our religious beliefs help us cope with death? If we believe that there is life after death, does our mind convince us that we will see them again someday and therefore make it easier for us to deal with the “temporary” loss? Do we find it easier to cope by telling ourselves that they are in a “better place”? How do people deal with a loss when they believe that once you die, that is it? I can tell you that in the religion that I was raised in, they believe that there are actually 3 kingdoms of heaven and depending on how you act here on earth will determine which kingdom you will spend eternity. Now don’t quote me on that but that is what I remember them teaching me. It never made sense to me. The teachers also taught that if you were in a higher kingdom, you could go visit members that resided in a lower kingdom but those in the lower kingdoms were not allowed into the higher kingdoms. That leads me to believe that you are not going to necessarily be spending the eternity with your family or loved ones. Now THAT blows me away and makes me nervous to pass on. I believe in god and I believe in heaven and hell and I believe that those that go to hell are those that deny god if they have been given the opportunity to believe in him and refuse. Although, when I think about it, I have some good arguments for that issue. Our human minds can not always conceive every concept. For example, if we live for all eternity, do our bodies age? Who determines what age we will remain if we don’t? Will there be children or will we all be adults? Keeping those thoughts in mind, it is easy to convince ourselves that eternity does not exist and maybe we are taught it does so that we can learn how to cope with death more easily. They say that time heals all wounds and I agree with that. At first we are devastated but as each day passes, we find that life for us goes on and we find a way to move forward. So no matter what your beliefs are, I think that God knows what is in your heart. Whatever you believe, I hope it helps you through your times of need and sorrow.

A nana to be.... again!

This past weekend, I got a text message from my son-in-law. All it said was "Congrats". I was thinking to myself, now why in the world would he send me that? Then it dawned on me. I quickly dialed the phone. My daughter answered and I blurted out as quickly as my lips would form the words... "are you pregnant?" She calmly replied "No". So I asked again. This time her response changed. She said that she hasn't had it confirmed by the doctor but the home test said it was positive. I was/AM so very excited. How fun! I can't wait to be a nana again. I will be planning a trip to Utah in September and hopefully have my daughter convince her doctor to schedule a time for her to have the baby. I would so LOVE to be there that day! So, Congrats to not only me but to my daughter and son-in law! I love you all! xoxo

Blue Ridge Mountains

Today Ken and I decided to do something out of the ordinary for us. We wanted to drive somewhere and let our new Garmin help us find the way. We decided to drive to the Blue Ridge Mountains. We had a beautiful drive up there and the sun was shining. Once we entered Skyline Drive and started looking at the maps, we decided that we should hike one of the trails. We found a trail that said it was a "fairly easy" trail that was 2 1/2 miles and agreed that would be the one we would try. Well, we pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car and realized.... we're not in Richmond anymore. The weather in Richmond was in the 50's. Here in the mountains it was in the 30's. Well, if you have read my blog, you KNOW that I am always freezing. I stepped out of my car for all of 1 minute and that was enough for me and I jumped back into the car. Feeling frustrated that we were not going to get any physical activity, we started looking at the map again. By now I am realizing that I need to pee. Well, if you have been in the Blue Ridge Mountains this time of year, you KNOW there is no place for a woman to pee. Regardless, we found a new trail that stated it was only 1 mile. I figured I could stand the cold long enough for 1 mile, right?? We drove to the place and got out of the car. Ken had his winter coat (he's the smart one) and I had on my feminine cutsey jacket (I was going more for fashion on this journey I guess). Other hikers were more prepared. They had ear muffs and gloves on. It was cold, cold cold. But it's only a mile. So we start hiking up the trail. It seemed pretty steep as both Ken and I were panting and our calves were starting to burn. Good news is, it was warming me up. We reach a marker and I am SURE by this point we have gone half way. We look at the post and we had only gone .1 mile. Yes.... that is correct POINT 1 miles. I am thinking, there is NO WAY I am going to finish this hike. Here we are 1/10 of the way and I am exhausted. Boy am I out of shape. We decided that dispite the cold, we were going to press on. We continued on the hike, hands shoved in my pockets to keep my fingers warm. Before I knew it, we had reached the destination. It was a spectacular view but I forgot my camera in the car so I didn't get a picture of it to prove that we actually did make the hike. The picture on this blog is taken from the Moorman Lake overlook. I got to take one picture before my battery died. Boy was I prepared for this trip or what?!? The good news is, we did it... we survived it dispite the cold (my ears were frozen) and the fact that I really had to pee.... and we had a great time. Now it's time to go curl up in front of the fire.

To be or not to be....

I really hate being such a negative person all the time. I believe that if someone is so negative that something in their life is just not right. The task is discovering what that something is and changing it; even if it could be a life altering change. Until someone is ready to make that change, no one can tell them what they know should be done. A person has to come to that conclusion on their own and when the time is right, that change can and will happen. I speak from experience. For years I was miserable. I felt like I was at a dead end and there was no hope. I spent many days crying to my friends who, regardless of their opinion, usually just listened to me and tried to comfort me. What a wonderful thing to have so many caring friends. After living in a life where I didn’t feel like I belonged or in some cases, didn’t want to belong, I decided that I needed to dig deep down into my gut and get the courage to express just how I felt. This did not mean yelling and screaming but actually, quite the opposite. I spent a lot of time confronting the problem and crying. In the end, I found the strength that I needed and I was able to change the thing that was bothering me most. Does that always mean that people are going to make the right decisions and that every change will be for the better? Possibly, but there is never a guarantee. I feel that we all choose our own destiny. We pave the way of our lives. If we choose to be miserable then we will be miserable. If we choose to be happy, then we will have joy. This reminds me of an email that I received where a man was dying and he could see it in the doctor’s eyes. He made the decision that he was going to live and stated that decision to the doctor. What a positive attitude we can learn from that. Believe me, if you are faced with this issue, it will not be easy but rest easy in knowing that there are people around you that love you and care for you. It won’t hurt to use them as a crutch and you will find that most are willing to help. I still have faith that most people out there are good people. It doesn’t matter what they look like or how they dress. What matters is what is in their heart and in their soul. Look at the outpouring of help the victims of 9-11 or Katrina or the Tsunami received. We live in a society where generosity is still in abundance. So, I choose to be happy. I know that I have a road ahead of me that may be difficult but I take comfort in knowing that I have friends that will help me through. And for that, I am thankful.

Long time no blog.....

Gosh, I can't believe it has almost been a month since I have written on this blog. I am sure everyone who reads it has been wondering what is going on with me. With the holidays I guess I got swept up in the entire hoopla around it. I must say that Ken spoiled me this year. He really is a great guy and treats me so well. I wish I could do so much more for him. For New Year's Eve, we went to the Holiday Inn Select and danced the new year in to Casper. They are a great band and always make bringing in the new year a "boogy"ing good time. Now that the holiday season has passed, it is time for life to return to normal. The countdown is now on to open the pool....hopefully in April sometime. I am looking forward to that. Along with that comes the new years resolutions.... mine are going to include losing some unwanted pounds, continuing on with my good job, seeing my granddaughter (maybe for her 2nd birthday), convincing someone that the timing is never going to be perfect and to just take the plunge already, and bringing smiles to many people's faces. Happy New Year!