Hello Tuesday

Hi. I've been lax about getting my postings on. A lot has happened -- Colton (my grandson) had his birthday party and I forgot my camera, but my daughter said she would send me the ones she took so I can share them with you. Ann (my daughter) also had her birthday last week and we went to the Seabreeze Restaurant in Cedar Key for dinner again, because it is one of her favorite places.

Cedar Key is a really neat little town on the west coast of Florida.

The palm salad at the restaurant is really wonderful, and its fun to walk out on the deck and shop the waterfront shops. They have a great arts and crafts festival coming up in October. I hope to go.

Hooray Discovery and NASA

Happy Sunday. Well the launch went off without a hitch last night and it was beautiful. Here is a link to the official NASA shuttle site that includes video and more info. I love the space program and all it has done to make our lives better. I used to dream of going into space or walking on another planet, but I think it will probably be my grandchildren or their children who will have a chance at that. Guess I'll just have to reincarnate.

Today is Colton's birthday party so I will upload photos tonight. Everyone take care.

Vacation 2009

Needed a vacation.

Spent a week at Daytona Beach Shores. Beautiful place. Had the grandchildren along and they had a blast. Nothing soothes my soul like the beach. I love it.

It was over too quickly.

Our last day we ate lunch at the Conch House in St. Augustine.

Lots of fun for all of us. I highly recommend vacations. They are a necessary part of life and if you can spend them with loved ones, they are even sweeter. Don't put it off, just go! You'll be glad you did.

Family Reunion Time

My Dad’s side of the family (the Williams folk) like to get together each year in the summer to see each other. Usually at one of the springs here in Florida (like Hart Springs or Poe Springs), but this time we met at a park just outside of High Springs called Camp Kalaqua. It is a beautiful place with a water park for swimming, a small zoo, and tons of other things to do that appeal to old and young alike. It is quite large though, so there is a lot of walking. My Mom and I rode with my daughter and son-in-law and the grandchildren in their van, so it was a comfortable drive to get there—about an hour away.

We have a pot luck lunch, with each family bringing a dish (or two) to share and we all sit down together at long tables to eat. It was great to see everyone. The grown-ups have a chance to visit and see the newest family additions, and the children get a chance to meet each other and see some relatives they may not see at all except at these once-a-year get-togethers.

If you have family that is spread out so far that regular face-to-face meetings are difficult, the answer could be a planned reunion. It’s a bit of work but the photos, conversations, and memories are priceless gifts you take home to savor in your spare moments. I highly recommend it.

A Broader View

Morning. Hope you are happy and well. When I started this blog, I named it My Pets because I was going to focus on the four-legged denizens of my household. But it has occurred to me that I could also branch into other “pets” as well, such as pet peeves, pet projects, or pet whatevers and still have the title make sense. So feel free to check back or follow me to keep up with the mesmerizing lives of Fireheart, Tabitha, Gaia, Athena, and/or Aphrodite, but realize that more may be found in the way of scintillating entertainment among these posts. Ya never know.
I’ve started to scrapbook and I’m loving it. Scrapbooking delivers gratification on so many levels—creativity, immersion, complete control, a beautiful finished product, etc., that I think it should qualify as therapy (for anything). I know I feel better (lighter, happier) when I am stamping, gluing, arranging, writing, glittering, layering, elements on a page to convey the perfect feeling or message. When I’m done my creation makes me smile but then I just want to start another page.

I have discovered, however, this is not an inexpensive hobby. The bits and doodads are pricy depending on how fancy you want to get. But still, you set your own entertainment budget and prioritize according to what you want, which can at times flip flop. For instance, “Do I want to go to a movie or purchase that new packet of adorable papers?” Responses change in relation to what movie or if you feel you’re due a perk and decide to do both. In my case, the new Harry Potter movie would win.

Saw it, loved it, want to see it again. Came home and stayed up all night reading the last book again. Thank you J.K. Rowling for such a gift as this story and these characters. Good triumphs, honesty, empathy, and loyalty are rewarded, friendship comforts the soul, and intelligence and knowledge are valued. I feel all seven books are destined to join the classics of all time. Shame on the small minds that try to nitpick the series apart based on their own narrow views of life. Enough on that.

Here is a scrapbook page I did as a tribute to my sweet Skipper, who passed away last year.

I'll work on my photography techniques.

Widget cat

Found this really cute widget cat. Isn't he adorable?

Happy Thursday

Ummmm... Early morning... Hot cup of coffee... Life is good at times like these. Going shopping to buy Savannah and Colton school supplies today. I love school supplies. New pencils (all the same length and unsharpened), fresh paper, clean erasers, little plastic "keeper" pockets that fit into your notebook, and a new notebook in a bright cheerful color--I love it. What would I do if I didn't have grandchildren?