Carpe Diem

Pittsburgh:
No job yet...soon. I keep saying that hopefully one day it will be a reality. SOON. In the meantime:

My days consist of preparing meals, and coercing children to get ready for the day amongst that is brushing the teeth, to be obedient or nice to each other. A shorter version of my explanation as to why they should brush their teeth went something like this:
Thomasin:'I don't want to brush my teeth. I don't like tooth paste.'

Simone: 'Well you need to brush your teeth'

Thomasin: 'Why?'

Simone:'Well after you eat food if you don't brush your teeth bugs build up on your teeth and make your teeth rot.'

Thomasin: 'What is rot?'

Simone: 'You know the compost in the backyard with all the vegetable peelings that are breaking down and decomposing after sitting there for a long time? Well that is rotting.'

Thomasin: 'Oh.'

Simone: 'Your teeth will get eaten by the bugs, and rot. Your teeth and mouth will began to hurt and all your pretty teeth will fall out.'

Since then I just need to remind them of the bugs in their teeth and Thomasin isn't as reluctant to brush her teeth.




Sticky hands, dirty faces, Peanut butter sandwiches, craft activities, glue, crayons, picture books, story time, go fish, dress up, store, house, leaking poopy diapers, crying children, and a frequently harassed immune system.




Josh remarked bitter sweetly after a chaotic evening with the children, "It is kinda like 'Ground hog's Day.' You wake up the next day and do the same thing over again.

Come Away With Me

How did I get so lucky to go on a cruise at almost no cost? Well, it is all about who you know even when it comes to traveling. One of my best friends from college has worked for the Royal Caribbean land tour, basically driving a tour bus in Alaska for several summers. She gets an awesome deal at the end of her season for a cruise, if there are cabins available. Six months ago we planned going on a cruise together. It was my lifesaver from March through the summer. Badda bing! Badda bang! Fast forward to November and we start with our Southern Road trip which ends in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.




Come experience my cruise with me.

After sorting out our lack of paperwork we were welcomed aboard. We head to our room in Deck 3111 (I believe) to get settled. Our luggage did not turn up for quite a while; rather someone else’s luggage was put by our room. We found a Cruise Compass on our beds, which was the schedule of all the activities for the day. Every evening afterward from Day 1 to Day 10 it was a special treat to come back to our rooms after dinner and plan the following day with our new Cruise Compass before heading to the disco. I carried that thing with me everywhere with the exception of port days. After having a snack we had a bon voyage and emergency evacuation drill. We wandered around the boat for a bit. Found the Rock Climbing wall, and other areas that would be significant for the rest of the cruise.

Every night we went to the Performances in the Coral Theatre. Welcome Aboard Show, “A Tribute to the King” starring Travis Ledoyt, Las Vegas Illusionist starring Kyle Knight & Mistie, Production Showtime: City of Dreams, Ventriloquist Michael Ziegfeld, Comedy and Music show by John Bressier, Production Showtime: Tango Buenos Aires, Juggling and other stuff by Jeff Taveggia.

We went to movies, music trivia, Volleyball tournaments, live music at various bars, nightly disco with DJ Diggy, dance classes, and of course Rock Climbing at least once during the day if not twice. The wall was a regular and there was just something or maybe someone special there. ;)






We had scheduled seating for our dinner. Our table after the first night became vacant besides SD and I, and Sheryl. Occasionally a newlywed couple from Mexico would join us and a cruise friend, Jeff.





The cruise schedule went a little something like this:
Day 1 All Aboard

Day 2 At Sea

Day 3 Labidee, Haiti
We walked around the island. Talked with some of the locals. Rested, read in some hammocks. Went on a Kayaking tour, played some volleyball and swam.





Day 4 At Sea

Day 5 Cartagena, Columbia
Piss pouring pain. Buckets. Cats & Dogs. Sheets. What other term could I use to describe how much it rained that day. And no, I didn’t have an umbrella. We wandered Old Town, the wall, and Fort San Felipe. Fort San Felipe had a bunch of tunnels leading down underground to all sorts of places. But with the rain much of the lower tunnels were flooded and it was a bit slippery.





Day 6 Colon, Panama
Sarah-Dawn, Sheryl and I rented a cab drove through a National Reserve to the Panama Canal. The Miraflores Lockes to be exact. We watched the process of several boats going through this set of locks. It was really amazing. Panama now has control over canal, and they are actually building a larger canal for bigger ships to pass through. It costs exuberant amounts of money for a boat to pass through. I’m couldn’t believe it when I heard how much it was.






Day 7 Porta Limon, Costa Rica
Day at the beach. Literally from 9am to 4:30pm SD and I were sitting on the beach or in the water. I spent a lot of time floating on my back in the water. I did get a sun burn. Upper thigh, back, and a little on the chest. More on one side than the other too. We didn’t have an umbrella and there were no trees so I was actually surprised I wasn’t worse off.






Day 8 At Sea

Day 9 Grand Cayman
Scuba diving. I am having a hard time with the equalizing of my ears. I LOVE diving and being underwater but it takes me so long for my ears to adjust. Anything beyond about 65 feet isn’t really pleasurable for my sinuses either. I wasn’t sick and I didn’t have any health issues at the time, so I don’t really know what my problem is. Ok so the dive itself I didn’t see Turtles like we thought. I saw an eel on my reef dive and then we had a wreck dive.




Day 10 At Sea

Day 11 Back again to Ft. Lauderdale






I had escargot & caviar in one evening the day the Captain came to meet his guests. 'You're fancy huh?!'

Did you enjoy your cruise with me?

2011...

A new decade. Really? I can’t believe it. Nor can I believe that I am 28. Today I feel my age. Why is it at the new year that I feel my age because I didn’t get a year older, the earth did. Another year is gone. Does that mean that the earth is a year older, when does Mother Earth have a birthday…Earth Day? I admit this may be a dumb question and I may realize that when someone gives me the answer but right now it is a good question. Anyhow, most days I can say that I feel 18. My experiences/stresses the past couple years have aged me though...that cortisone running rampid through my blood hasn’t done much for me. Ben has come out here to visit DC, more or less to get out of the house (Josh’s house) with all the kids. Everyone asks which one of us it older. I mean he is only 2.5 years older than me and I do know that men age better than women because a wonderful thing called estrogen or the lack thereof but I am not menopausal nor have I had the effects of childbearing on my record yet. I guess this is kinda a sensitive subject for me.

I am not a fan of New Year’s resolutions because you make a goal at the new year and it lasts maybe a month or two and then it is forgotten. This new year I had a little New Year’s evaluation of my progress in one of my recent sleepless nights.

After my evaluation I have concluded:
I need an increased awareness of:
Foods I ingest. Where is comes from, how it is processed and the long term effects of what I consume. My body is the greatest physical gift I have ever received and will ever recieve. Only those that have known me for a long time understand when I say I have treated it like an old piece of luggage. Have you heard of Glycation? If not it may be something you want to look into among other health considerations.

Gratitude. Take more time to be self –aware. I have so many great things in my life. I think I disregard them on too many occasions. I want to be more grateful for my bounteous blessing.

Develop my passions. Which I won’t expand upon.

Solidify my foundation. Am I the foolish man that built his house upon the sand or wise man that built his house on the rock? Huh?. I think that I have moved a few times and right now I have blue prints of an amazing house, but haven’t started the digging. It is about time though.

Right well there a few other things but I’ll save it for another day.
I have 363 days of the year left. If this is going to be MY year and I need to make it count…every day.

I ended the year well. I passed both my Esthetics tests. I am doing good things, but I realize that not everything will come easy but has a price. i have to be strong.

Today I left DC for good, at least for the time. How do I feel now that today it is official? I was fine until the end of testimony meeting for some reason it hit me. Even if I come back and visit my friends, which I will, things won’t be the same. I hate goodbyes. I left the meeting early so I wouldn’t have to say anymore goodbyes, but Mike chased me out to the parking lot (after I thought I was clear to shed a few tears) to say good bye. Thank you to all my wonderful friends. I love you. I hate change, although I thrive on it as well.
Til we meet again!