Are you getting ready for next year??

I am!! I have to. If I waited until fall to start I'd spend WAAAAAYYYY to much and that makes my wallet hurt! I had seen something on a web site earlier in the year to help keep me going through out the year, but then I couldn't remember where I found it. Soooo, I decided to take what I could remember and run with it. This is what I came up with....


This is the front cover of my CHRISTmas notebook. I used a spiral bound note card book. Having started to use it I wish I had used a note card binder instead so I would have a little more flexability.



This page starts my first section.



Our Traditions.....



The next divider looks like this, can you guess what the section is??


Did you guess?? I know you did! It's "people to buy for". I only included a sample of the pages to give you an idea. The first page is a complete list of peeps. Then a couple of pages that look something like this. DH, the kids and Mom each get their own page. The kids pages have a list of those that they get gifts for as well, to help keep track.


Then we come to the next divider, "stuffer stuff"....
Stuffers are my nemasis. First, because they get expensive quickly, and secondly, I usually buy enough to fill 6 of them.



I have a "fabalus" arrangement with my BF where I get her stuff and she gets mine, and then we ship them to each other. I LOVE this!! Each stocking gets it's own page....



The next divider starts my CHRISTmas timeline...



My countdown starts in November...


and goes through the day AFTER CHRISTmas....



The next section is more or less "miscellaneous"...




I've included things not to forget (Santa brings a new tooth brush in our stockings every year). As you can see, I have a line for each type of battery. I just write the number of batteries for each item next to the appropriate type and mark it out when I buy them.


It seems every year I end up with a couple of things I changed my mind about later....


I'm going to add another page for gift ideas. That way if I see something for someone, but have to wait to get it, I can reference back later. It will have the item, price, where I saw it and who I think would enjoy it. I can also take the time to find it elsewhere for less that way! Win, win!

I love this idea and have already implemented it. It looks more daunting a task than it is. Start to finish it only took me about 30 minutes. Wrapping the pages isn't a must, but it makes for great dividers and helps keep the CHRISTmas spirit going. It's the perfect size to fit in my purse so I can keep it with me. I'll never have to try to remember what I've picked up where for whom again!! "Fabalus!!"

Me

How was you CHRISTmas??

Mine/ours was "fabalus" all things considering. I think I got everything I asked for this year which was VERY nice! I got an AWESOME purse that I absolutely love, a beautiful watch, my much wanted body pillow and I got to go shopping the day after to prep for next year! By far my best present was this....




Here is a close up of the note that was attached (You'd think Santa would have better grammer skills! lol)



I've also had some requests to see my next best present, so I felt obliged to add it here as well...



Like I said, all in all, it was a great CHRISTmas.


Me

Home Made Powdered Detergent

I want to start out by saying that I was a bit dubious about powdered detergent. I've had problems with store bought detergents leaving residue on our clothes in the past. BUT... my friend who gave me this recipe (thanks Cyndi) didn't have that problem so I thought I'd give it a go.


You will need...

(one part Borax, 1 part Washing Soda and 2 parts soap)

1 bar of Ivory Soap *
1/2 Cup Washing Soda
1/2 Cup Borax
A food Processor (you could do it by hand, but who has the time?!)


Start by putting your shredding blade on your FP. Stick your soap in there and let it fly!! With the flakes still in there and shredded, take off the shredding blade and put on your chopping blade. Now add your powders and give that a good whirl. Voila! Just add two table spoons to the washer while it is filling up and then add your clothes! It works GREAT!!

*you can use others, but one bar of Ivory works out to be the 1 Cup the recipe calls for.


Making my own seems to be rewarding and more frugal than buying it at the store. Plus I'm cutting out the "extra" chemicals store brands have to offer! I spent roughly $10 on supplies to make a triple batch, but have PLENTY of Borax and Washing Soda to make more and to use for other things. So really, the up front cost is (about) the same, but you get way more in the long run. BTW, I got all of my ingredients at Wal Mart except for the Washing Soda. I had to go to another local grocery store to buy that.

Have fun being that much more self sufficient!!

Me

Hello Blog Land!!!

How is everyone today? Things have been hoping around the BigM home! Thanks Giving was a (near) disaster (thank you Daddy for helping save the day!), and my Mom has moved in! Our family is now 6 (plus one furry member).


Me

Give it your all!!!

101%

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100%?
What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?
Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?
We have all been in situations where someone wants you to
GIVE OVER 100%.
How about ACHIEVING 101%?

What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help
answer these questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

If:

H-A-R-D-W-O- R- K
8+1+18+4+23+ 15+18+11 = 98%

And:
K-N-O-W-L-E- D-G-E
11+14+15+23+ 12+5+4+7+ 5 = 96%

But:
A-T-T-I-T-U- D-E
1+20+20+9+20+ 21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F- G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+ 6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:
While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will
get you there, It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!
God bless!!

Unassisted Miscarriage

Our baby has gone back home to heaven. It's all I can say. I am sad to not have met that beautiful face, and yet rejoice at another soul going home to Him.

I had started spotting last Monday after a day of pain and discomfort. I had gone to the ER where the staff was more or less indifferent. I wish I could say that it was just the staff at this particular hospital, but having talked to others I know better than that.

I stayed home on bed rest that whole week praying that this would pass and a healthy baby would result. Alas that was not to be. This morning I awoke feeling terribly crampy and not just spotting, but now bleeding lightly and I knew it was time. I lay in bed with DH and cried. I cried not only for the physical pain, but for the lose of my baby that I knew was soon to come. I also knew that I did NOT want to go back to that cold indifferent hospital to be treated like it didn't matter. It does matter. It matters to me and my family!

At 6:45, I went into the bathroom and passed what was obviously meant to be the placenta. Had it been whole and full if life it may have been the size of a small plum. It was awful, beautiful and awe inspiring.

I'm feeling a bit better physically. The cramps are letting up (thank you God). My heart still hurts for never having met my little person, but I find tremendous comfort in knowing that God knows what He is doing. I do not know what that baby's life would have been like, and I never will this side of Heaven, but I look forward to meeting him or her again for the first time when I get there. I want to thank God for giving me the chance to be a Mommy again, if only for a very short while.

Me

BigM's Adventures

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

We're Pregnant!!

In case you didn't notice my ticker over there on the right. I'm due to have a new baby in my arms in late June! Tee Hee!!! We are so stocked you can't even imagine!!! We had a scare a couple of days ago, but that seems to have worked itself out now. I need to get busy making my list of things to buy. I am planning a home birth with a midwife and (hopefully) a doula. So cool!!! I'm not sure about the water birth thing. I think I would like to labor in it, but not give birth in it. We'll see I guess.

My only real symptoms so far are being tired and lazy. lol I'll take that! Speaking of, I'm ready for my morning rest. I may post baby bump pics later! Have a blessed day blog land!!


ME

Things are crazy around here!!

While in the middle of moving boxes I received a call from my Aunt up north. Turns out that they had been trying to reach me for a week because my Mom is in a coma! So I high tailed it up there and got the scoop.

I have to say that "they" should warn you before you go in if you've never seen a "real" coma. It is not what most people think of. If you're like me you think of a patient just lying there in bed looking like they are sleeping. Sure you expect tubes and stuff, but that's it.

While a "medically induced" coma may look that way, I "real" one does not. My Mom is in a bed and yes there are tubes everywhere but! She looks nothing like she is sleeping. Her arms and legs are moving around (pretty wildly, they have to keep her strapped down) she also turns her head and makes faces like she is in pain. The worst part is that she opens her eyes and "looks" at you and will even smile and frown. I say that she does, but it isn't her. All this movement is just neuro-muscle reaction. It means nothing according to her dr. Now if she were doing a little more over and over a period of time that would be one thing, but she isn't.

She has been in this state in the hospital since the 30th of September. I flew up on the 7th of October and had to leave her there (in good hands but still) on the 14th. I was so glad to be home again and yet so sad to not be with her at the same time.

I spoke with the nurse this morning (like every morning) and learned that Mom is running another low grade fever for no apparent reason. The nurse said (off the record) that it could be her brain causing the fever. I will try to spend some time today researching what that all means. The nurse also said that today they will be adding a "PMV" to Mom's traq to see if she will talk. Why they think she would talk when she isn't even "there" is beyond me, but it isn't going to hurt the situation so I won't argue.

I want to beg all og blogland to please get your papers in order. You NEED a living will and you NEED a paper stating who you want to have Power of Attorney if something happens to you. Telling loved ones is not enough because they will second guess themselves and what you wanted in the heat of the moment. I know it can be spendy, but it isn't for you so much as it is for they family left to deal with the tragedy. Even people who know it can happen to them don't really THINK that it will.

Also, if you aren't already, get right with God. I don't know how people who do not have Him in their lives get through. Knowing that my Mom will go to heaven some day is also a great relief at this time. If things do get worse, I know I'll see her again. Much love and many blessings to you.


Me

Oh Blogland!!!!

I'm so sorry, but it has been getting crazy around here!! Crazy in a good way that is!! We are moving to a new home!!! I don't have long to post (with pics) but I will do my level best to get it done.

DH finally had it with the LL last Friday (Sept. 26th) and started checking out Craig's List on the 27th. On Sunday the 28th, we decided to drive around and see what was out in the country a little bit. As we were getting a move on I asked God to guide our paths to the home that was right for us.

There was NOTHING for rent in our area. Not a single sign! We decided to go over one town and look. We saw two for rent signs, one was not what we really wanted and turned out to be out of our price range. The other claimed three BR but Pa-Lease! They were big enough for a crib....maybe!

Tired, hungry and frustrated we decided to call it a day. DH needed to drop something off at work but "on a whim" ;) turned down a side road. Sure enough there was a for rent sign, but it said two bedrooms, not three. Normally we wouldn't have bothered to call but decided to "on a whim" ;). Turns out that, yes it is a two bedroom, but it also has a big FL room on the back that is just perfect for our bedroom! Not only is it available NOW, but is in our price range and the near perfect setting for us! Thank you God!! We started moving in on Monday and have been busy since!

So here we go, a tour of the BigM Homestead!!!

These are our new digs.... We'll be scrubbing that stain off soon...



And the screen porch area to the left of that....we will go in through here...



This is our neeeiiigggghhhbor's place....




And these are some of our lovely neighbors....












Ok, back to our house.

This is the walk up to the porch area...



We will come in through the laundry room/pantry most of the time....



Which opens to the dining/kitchen. (Those kids came with the house. Sure hope they can cook!)


This is half-ish of the living room. I've got big plans for this space!!



This is most of the kids rooms here. They are actually a bit bigger than they look.







Now we are going to check out my room. There is a bunch of stuff in there to be moved out and it is kinda hard to see the glory of the room in this pic. You can't see it, but down on the other end is my own fireplace!!! How romanticle!!! I have big plans for in here as well...



And last but by far not least is the back yard. I LOVE the back yard!!

Ok, now see that beautiful sunny spot over there? That is where we plan to put our pool.



And this is where I'm thinking of putting a bench to relax on and stare out over OUR CREEK! Tee Hee! It isn't really deep enough for any alligators to enjoy, so I think the dog is safe.




Then again, this spot is really beautiful too. I may have to get another bench and split my time between the two! Decisions, decisions!!!


We also will be moving our chickens with us for those who are wondering. They just started laying eggs and I'd hate to give that up!! Tell me, what do you think??

Me

losing a piece of myself...

Some of you may know that I have been "charting" for well over a year now. Some of you may not. Most of you are probably wondering what the heck "charting" is. I'll tell you...charting is when you wake up at 4am (for me) every morning and take your temperature before you even open your eyes. Then you keep track of that and a couple of other bodily clues. From these things you can tell when you are going to ovulate, that you have ovulated, and when AF is going to show up at your door. Very useful information when you are actively trying to have a baby.

This past month, I had a very long LP (luteal phase) which would indicate an impending BFP. While I tried not to get excited, I couldn't help myself. Ok, ok, I got really excited. Imagine my dismay when AF finally did show up! Initially I was afraid that I could be miscarrying so I asked God what I should do. Do I go to the hospital? Do I stay home? Not five minutes later my Dr calls (two days early) and tells me that my latest blood work was negative, meaning no baby.

Well, that answers that question. (Thanks for letting me know God, that's a load off!) Great, now I can just be bummed about the fact that it didn't happen for us again this month. I am running out of patience. Never mind the fact that we've only been trying for two months! I'm a winner and winners get it right the first time! (yeah right)

Has God ever "talked" to you? If He has, then you'll understand what I'm about to say next. If He hasn't (or you weren't listening) then you'll probably think of calling the loony bin about having me admitted. So I...?feel?...God telling me, "It's ok. It isn't time yet." Miraculously, I feel better about the whole situation. I mean that, I really did/do feel that way.

Now I come to the losing a piece of myself part. Remember where I said that I've been charting for over a year? Well, I really am feeling lead to stop. To just throw out the thermometer and give it all up to God. After all, He's in charge of it anyway right? Right. The problem is...it's a part of who I am. I just found a wonderful community of ladies that are TTC right along with me. Should I give them up to? What am I gonna do with myself a 4am everyday? Sleep?

It's not a question of whether or not I'll stop charting. God is leading me there, I'm gonna go. I'm just feeling a little sad over it, that's all. Like I'm passing out of a phase of my life that I'll never have again. I'm giving up the "control" I've felt like I had even though it was never mine to begin with. That's not an easy thing for most people, and I'm no exception.

So, here I go. I'm stepping out in faith. Giving up my control and handing it over to God, willingly. Will we have a baby? I really have faith that we will. Could I be wrong? Absolutely! I do not pretend to know the mind of God. Will I be a basket case over the next couple of months? That has yet to be seen, but I don't think it will be any worse than usual!

TTFN,
Me

Unbelievable!!

The bank screwed up the deposit I made and over drafted me last week which incurs a fee. I called the bank and the lady said to go ahead and transfer my money back to my savings and she would reverse the fee. Great! So that's what I did.

FF to today. I check my account and....get this... they charged me to transfer money out of my savings, to cover them transferring money into my savings. What?!?! Ugh. I'm to tired for this crap. Now I'm still out the fee. It made my brain hurt just to look at the cluster they created. You can bet I'll be calling them first thing tomorrow.

I think I'm going to start looking onto a different bank. We went to this one because their customer service was outstanding. Since then their standards have lowered and now....not so much. They charge me $7 every month because my employer doesn't have direct deposit, and if I don't have X amount in savings they charge me for that as well every month. I do get free checks but we haven't used half a box in the three years we've had an account with them. Gee, free checks, or free checking? Not hard to do the math on that one!

OK blog land. I'm tired and I need to restif I'm going to be able to watch the season premiere of House tonight.


TTFN,
ME

Hey you Myspacers!!!

A friend turned me onto the game "Dragon Wars". It's pretty cool! If you want to, you can "join My Alliance" and join in the fun too! Here is a link to my space. I hope you join, and if you do, good luck to you! I've got your back!


ME

That was fast!

Just an update...Turns out our FES was a wee bit highfalutin. Seems she felt that our house was not big enough for her and her daddy pulled strings high up to move her to a "big" house. Se la vie She'll figure out what we already know. That bigger doesn't mean happier. Unfortunately she is going to be miserable at the other house. To late now though "cause she's not coming back here. I'll bet she's back in Germany by the end of next week. S, if you read this (which I doubt) we wish you the best of luck.


Me

We are getting a FES!!

A Foreign Exchange Student that is! I think she is coming on Saturday! I can't believe it! We are all very excited to share our lives and to learn about the "real" Germany! It is going to be a GREAT experience!



Me

I know you see it!

We have about four months until CHRISTmas. Have you started your shopping yet?

What got me going was the arrival of my Lakeside CHRISTmas Catalog. Normally I'll flip through it and toss it, but this is the big one! The CHRISTmas 2008 catalog! Sure enough I found a few things in there for the people near and dear to my heart (and a few things for me, tee hee).

You may ask yourself "Self, WHY oh WHY is she bringing this up all ready!!" Well, I'll tell you. Firstly, I absolutely abhor paying full price for things I could have gotten on sale. B, I can not afford to run out and spend boo coo bucks all at once and finally, it takes some of the pressure off to plan ahead.

I like to have anything and everything I'm going to order at my house by early to mid November. My goal is to get everything that needs mailed ready to go and in the mail the day after Thanksgiving. This includes our cards. I'll be getting them and my card address book out of storage soon. Which reminds me that I need to pick a photo and get those ordered as well. When you send out between 60-70 cards every year, the pics and postage add up fast!

I got a good start on gifts the day after last year. Every year I ask for money to be able to go shopping on boxing day. (We pros (lol) call it boxing day. I have no idea why, I believe it's a Canadian term, maybe Australian) It's getting close to the time when I get out my master list from my HMB, (Home Management Binder), and double check that what I have on the list matches what I have stored, and to go through my cuby and add what I've picked up for whom to the list. I'll then double check who I have on the list without a gift and decide from there what to get them.

My list is broken into columns. It looks something like this...

Name.....Gift/idea..................................$Limit.....Actual$....Wrapped?....Shipped?

(these are dates)

I also have another page that has a name at the top for each of the stockings I do. Then I just start adding items under the names as I pick them up. A little here and there makes for great stockings that don't seem to hurt the wallet as badly!

You may be thinking to yourself that this would take all the fun out of CHRISTmas shopping. I will tell you that you couldn't be more wrong! It puts the fun back IN shopping AND extends it the whole year through! You see, when you aren't running hither and yon stressing out about what to get whom, you can slow down and enjoy your friends and family knowing that it is all under control! Also, the joy you get when you find a treasure here and there throughout the year is just as sweet. Maybe even more so because you can take the time to appreciate it and feel very savy for having planned that much more ahead of time. Trust me!! It is a GREAT feeling!

Have a Merry CHRISTmas!
Me

911 Math Assistance

This is so hilarious!! I couldn't help but post it!

This is the link.

Me

I Will Survive!!

An internet friend of mine from a board I frequent posted this and said I could add it here. Thanks HeartforHome!!


Originally written and produced by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris
Originally performed by Gloria Gaynor
Mercilessly altered with apologies by Natalie Criss

First I was afraid
I was petrified.
Kept thinking I could never teach
’Cause I’m not certified.
But we spent so many nights
Reteaching homework that was wrong.
I grew strong,
so now I teach my kids at home!
We study math
and outer space.
I just kept on despite the fear
with a big smile across my face.
I bought a set of Base Ten blocks.
I bought books with answer keys.
My parents think we’re nuts,
but they don’t even bother me

Come on, let’s go walk out the door.
We’re on the road now,
'cause we’re not home much anymore
My friends would laugh and say we’d be unsocialized.
I heard one mumble
that I’d give up by July.
Oh no, not I!
I will survive!
As long as I know how to read
I know we’ll be alright.
I've got all my life to learn.
I've got energy to burn.
and I'll survive.
I will survive.

It took all the strength I had
not to fall apart.
Decided to attend
a play date at the local park,
and I met oh so many moms
who offered eagerly to help.
They used to cry.
Now they hold their heads up high,
and so do we!
My kids are cool!
They’re not those chained up little people
stuck inside at school.
So if you feel like dropping by
and just expect us to be free
you’d better call ahead first
’cause we’re probably busy!

HSG results

DH and I went for my HSG (fertility test) yesterday. It was not fun! It hurt like bad "first day" cramps. I'm still hurting today. Last night I had taken a Tylenol PM and still woke in pain in the middle of the night. That's ok though because.....MY TUBES ARE OPEN!!!!! We can for sure get pg (pregnant)!! I'm so excited and happy that I want to cry! All that is left now is to BD (baby dance) at the right time and wait. Hurry up and wait. Isn't that about the story of life?


Me

Japanese IQ Test

This is an IQ test given to job applicants in Japan.

"Everybody has to cross the river"

To play, click the link below - then click the blue circle to start.

The following rules apply:

• Only 2 people on the raft at a time.
• The Father cannot stay with any of the daughters, without their Mother's presence.
• The Mother cannot stay with any of the sons, without their Father's presence.
• The thief (striped shirt) cannot stay with any family member, if the Policeman is not there.
• Only the Father, the Mother and the Policeman know how to operate the raft.

To move people, click on them. To move the raft, click on the pole on the opposite side of the river. The solution is possible!


http://freeweb.siol.net/danej/riverIQGame.swf

Ok, ok. For those of you who just can not take any more time to figure this out, I will put the answer on here for you.




Abbreviations: P (police) C (criminal) D (Daddy) M (mommy) DS (dear son) DD (dear daughter)




Are you sure you want the answer?? Why don't you give it another try first.
.....
.....
.....
.....
.....
.....
.....
.....
.....

1) P & C
2) P
3) P & DS (or DD, your choice just reverse them for the rest of the instructions)
4) P & C
5) D & DS
6) D
7) M & D
8) M
9) P & C
10) D
11) M & D
12) M
13) M & DD
14) P & C
15) P & DD
16) P
17) P & C

There, see! It can be done!

TTFN,
Me

We went to Mosi!!

We went to Mosi (Museum of Science and Industries) yesterday and we had a BLAST!! They have the only Imax theater here in Florida and we saw "Dinosaurs Alive". It was pretty awesome! I am looking forward to going back to see more movies in the future. Here are some pics of our field trip...

Here we are at the very first dino in the "special" exhibit I can not remember the name of it right this minute...


Next was the Tyrannosaurus. A thought it was hilarious "I have a big head, and little arms! (I don't think this plan was very well thought out!?)"



Here we are as dinos ourselves. First are the girls...



This is J and I. Can you guess who's who??



This is A on the high wire. I couldn't believe she actually did it! I'd have peed myself! It is two stories up!


It was a really cool trip. They had so many things to see and do! They even had a hurricane wind "tunnel" that you can get into. The winds go up to 78 mph! Yikes!


It took us the better part of the day just to get through the whole place. Even then, we skipped some things. I was bummed that the planetarium shows were all sold out. Oh well, maybe next time. There will definitely be a next time!


TTFN,
Me

Free firewood!!!

For us anyway! DH woke me this am to tell me not to let the kids go outside. Evidently, during the storms last night, a branch from our ginourmous oak tree fell! I snapped some pics, but was unable to capture the enormity of it all.

This is where the limb actually broke. It was more than 12" around.



DH's BMW is what kept it from crashing all the way down... It has a HUGE dent in the hood now...



It also took out my patio chair, but spared my table, for which I am greatful!



Here are a couple of pics from where the branch gave and hit our cement walkway...



Notice how thick it was, granted, it was on the edge, but still....





We should be pretty set for firewood this winter at least, provided it doesn't get eaten by termits between now and then! I can rest easy knowing that we will be warm!

TTFN,
Me

Yeah Me!!

Look what we did for math today!!!!



We really had fun! It got the kids to practice their multiplication tables without any fussing!! It was really great!


TTFN,
Me

The Smack Down!!

Well, I (finally) put the smack down on the kids yesterday. I want them to take more pride in the state of the house, and do it on their own kwim?? So, no more TV, Wii or computer until I see a consistent habit of taking the initiative and cleaning up without being yelled at or even told. They have a schedule they follow and the chores are not new.

I am just sick and tired of things being put NEXT to where they go! >:( For example, someone makes a sandwich and gets out the cheese, mayo, ketchup, lettuce and turkey. Instead of putting things back where they go, they cram them all on a shelf in the fridge. Then, when I go to put something in there, I have to rearrange the whole thing!

The last straw was yesterday when I stubbed my really bad toe (as opposed to my bad toe on the other foot) on a pair of DD1's boots because they were sitting NEXT to where they go. It hurt sooo bad! (Actually, it is still a little sore) How much more effort would it have taken to put them UNDER the bench in stead of six inches in FRONT of the bench??

So, today will be interesting I'm sure! We shall se how long it takes but I'm guessing at least a month. They'll pick up on it at first, and after a week start whining about it and slack off, so I'm betting 4-6 weeks to make it a habit. Wish us "luck"!!


TTFN,
Me

Our tenth anniversary!!

It's been awhile hasn't it? Sorry about that. Things get busy around here!

DH and I recently celebrated our 10th anniversary and all I can say is...Wow!! The whole thing was a surprise for me. He did a wonderful job! The effort he put into it meant even more to me then the things we did, kwim??

It started before I even realized when a friend of ours dropped off his car. I was like..."Why is he planning on working on a car? Aren't we going to be busy??" LOL He was dropping it off so we could use it!! Here is a pic....



This car is super cool!! It talks to you, it has a bum massager, dual air control and best of all...AIR CONDITIONED SEATS!!!! Oh man I want a car like this!!!!

So then we were off. DH got us a room on the TENTH FLOOR of the ever so posh Hyatt in Sarasota, over looking the gulf! It was beautiful! I got some pics for you...

This is the view when you walk in...


This is the view through the window....


The interior of the room coordinates with the hallways outside....


Here is the best view!!



While DH was taking a quick shower, we had a knock on the door. It was room service! Complements of the hotel manager himself! I don't know if they do that for every guest or not, but I like to think that they do not! Tee Hee!

Then we went to Saint Armand's Circle to check out the shops. Very high end stuff and very nice! It may have been out of my price range, but we had fun anyway!



THEN (this is the best part) we went to Chart House for dinner. It was wonderful!! We got there right on time for our reservation! (I couldn't believe that a) he made a reservation or b) that we got there on time for it!)

This is what the menus looked like...




Look a little closer....




How cool is that!!!! Afterwards, we watched the sunset on a semi-private beach. It was so pretty! We had a little time so we went and sat by the pool to relax for a few minutes. This pic makes me look funny but it was the only way I could get the waterfall into the pic...



Then we went to McCurdy's Comedy Theater and saw Diane Ford! We had a blast! We didn't make it back to the hotel until REALLY late that night. I love my honey, and he loves me. While out looking around Saint Armand's we saw a sign that expressed exactly how we feel...

"Once in awhile, right in the middle of an ordinary life, a fairy tale comes true"

Thank you God, for letting us live this fairy tale!!!


TTFN,
Me