Indulge Me

I Want To Go To Disney. NOW. I'm having such withdrawels its stupid. Havent been there since the summer before last. August 2008?? Could that be right?? I'm pretty sure it is. Lauren and I did the "last hurrah" before she left for Navy bootcamp. Spent 10 days in Disney with Hurricane whats.her.name. Edith from Mrs Bunkers Chainsaw Emporium probably remembers cause she was there at the same time.

For those that dont know already, Lauren and I have been to Disney over 100 times. Geeky? Maybe. Do I care?? No. Neither does Lauren.

I'm gonna stroll down memory lane. And its a lonnnnnng memmory lane. Your welcome to come with or come back when the next post is up.

Well I just figured it out...it was 8/08 cause the dates are on the pics. duh.
When we first got to Disney we dropped our bags in our room at the hotel on property, jumped on the monorail and went to the California Grill at the top of the Contemporary Hotel. We love having dinner up there and its one of our favorite spots to gaze at "The World". The pic in my header is taken from up there along the outside catwalk as are these below. This is what you see when you get out of the elevator. It takes my breath away EVERY TIME.




After dinner we hit the Magic Kingdom.
Hugged some characters

and watched some fireworks

and rode some rides (yeah I know its Aladdin. Shut up! We dont descriminate, we love 'em all!)


The next morning we got up at the ass crack of dawn and went to Animal Kingdom park.
Expedition Everest - love it!

Saw some aminals. check out this bat, you can see the family jewels. lmao. (click on pic to make bigger and you'll see)

And this tiger is sticking his tongue at you.


After we left that park we went to Typhoon Lagoon. Love that park at night!!


Once again the next morning we're up early to get to MGM Studios park. I cant remember what they call it now but it'll always be MGM Studios to us. Now, we need to get there first because we have to run our asses to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, get a fastpass then run over to Aerosmiths Rockin Roller Coaster and be the FIRST ones on that ride. We have to do this so we can then run all the way across the park at 8:00am in 95 degree heat to be FIRST in LINE to see this.

YES thats the Power Rangers but more importantly than seeing this awe inspiring entrance is to be first in line to meet a Ranger. Not for the Blue Ranger, noooo, not the Pink Ranger but the oh so coveted RED RANGER.

I was sweaty, exhausted already and it was worth it. For this pic.

Yeah, I have a (at the time 20 y/o) kid who still loves the Power Rangers. Hey whatever. I just like to see her smile and I'll do anything to make that happen. =)

Then we rode every ride in the park at least 10 times. Because thats what we do.
A great new ride that opened since the previous time we were there is A Toy Story. Effin Awesome!!!


I cant remember what we did that night. Probably passed out after running the parks for 3 days. And to think we only had 7 more days to go.

The next day was an explore the hotels on Disney property day. We love doing this. We pool hop and eat at the different restaurants and basically try to find new things that we've never seen before. We also rented some speed boats and wreaked havoc around Bay Lake.

I want to live here. The Wilderness Lodge.


The Kingdom


Speed racer aka: get yelled at for makin wakes in the marina racer.


I got tired of carrying my camera around so I left it back at the hotel for a couple of days. Eventually we ended up at Epcot. And our favorite place to eat there is the Biergarten.


And we ate breakfast at the Whispering Canyon Cafe one day and explored the Wilderness Lodge.
Please note our waiter had eyes that looked everywhere...




I really do want to live here.



Yeah she's 20 years old here. At Disney we are all 12 years old. I swear, it must be something in the air.

And please note the bracelets on her wrist. They are "extra magic hours" bracelets. Thats when they leave one park open realllllllly late for guest staying on property and its a different park every night. These are the reason I was physically exhausted by day 7. Up at the ass crack of dawn and not in bed until 1, 2 or 3am. Then right back at it the next day.

Ok, Hurricane whateverhernameis was fully upon us by this time. This is around 8:30 in the Magic Kingdom one morning. In a way it was awesome because the parks were really empty for a few days.


We always do the character breakfast at the Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom because thats where Tigger is. And Tigger rocks.


paparazzi!!!!


On Space Mountain...


My favorite pic of the Castle.


Its our last night on a rainy Mainstreet USA. They basically have to throw us out. We both know deep down we wont be here together again for a long time. Neither of us says it.


Ugh, its been too long.


If you stayed this long you really are a glutton for punishment. Thats almost as bad as watching someones home videos of their family vacation.

Werk. Werk. Werk.

My day at work.

I just try to be a good worker bee, kinda like Crash. Just doin my thing. Dont fuck with my system bitches, it just messes me up. 3 1/2 years I been doin this and I got this. No, really I do. It aint that hard.


Micro management will be the death of me. It just makes me find ways to mess with the system. And fuck around all day....




My superiors are the usual suspects...

Twofer Tuesday

Its better late than never I guess. Damn near forgot.

I read a new blog today. Jen stopped by from Redhead Ranting and left me a comment. Which in turn peaks my interest and I go see her blog which I'd never been to before. Well let me tell ya, she's a pistol!! I like!! So anyway, my Twofer Tuesday is inspired by her blog I guess in a roundabout way. Her being a Redhead and all got me thinking about other redheads I know and the first one that comes to mind is........Tori Amos!

I LOVE me some Tori Amos. Cant go wrong with any of her stuff but I had to pick two so here they are.

This is from very early in her career and off my favorite album, "Little Earthquakes".
Winter


And if I had to pick a favorite song (which is really hard to do), this would be it. Also off Little Earthquakes..
Silent all these years


Oh and I'd like to say....Massachusetts proved they have a brain!!! Weeeeeeeee!!!

Ugh.

I'm so sad. The Cowboys didnt even show up today. As a friend of mine said on Facebook, "What a waste of a playoff game". I almost agree.

Everything looked like it was going so well up till today. I let myself grab onto that glimmer of hope, that this year was gonna be different, that Romo would lead us to the promised land.

Alas, its over. Another season gone.

I'm gonna be at the Pro-bowl this year. In case you didnt know it, the NFL had this bright idea to move it to the Superbowl city (Miami) A WEEK BEFORE THE SUPERBOWL. Personally I give the NFL a FAIL for this. But, I wont complain. It'll be fun and I want to check out the NFL experience stuff that goes on the week before the Superbowl.

The games not until 7:30pm, WHAT??? Its on a school night for flippen sakes!! I got smart and took that Monday off. I have a feeling I might be a tad hungover cause the group of people I'm going with never fail to throw a shit show tailgaiting party.

Oh and the Saturday before the pro-bowlers have practice at Lockhardt Stadium which is right down the street from here. I'm gonna go get my Jason Witten jersey signed. =)

Tony is a cutie.


And Jason Witten is not too shabby either...

Blog Bling

So, I got a blog award. I must say when I started this little journey I wasn't aspiring to anything and certainly not looking to be acknowledged by an award. Hell, I didnt even know they had awards. Writing is a release of sorts for me. It was going to be a place I could write what I felt about anything and everything. A mishmash with no real purpose. Anonymous and free. Not so anonymous anymore but still free. It works for me.

I’m not sure I expected anyone to ever follow this blog much less comment on a regular basis. I’m not so sure I’d follow me if I weren’t me. I don’t think I’m that interesting quite honestly. It has got to be the boys that keeps y’all coming back. =)

I am grateful.
Greatful for everytime you stop by.
For every link to your blogroll.
For every comment.
My blog is much more important to me now. Much more than when I started. You all helped make that happen. Thank you!

My taste in blogs does fluctuate a bit, but I think I’ve found what I truly like. I like funny, I like informational, I like medical, I like political. There are some I keep going back to and can’t wait till they post. Those are the blogs I love!

So here’s my award. Given to me by Angelia at Living, Loving, Laughing. She’s an amazing person who I enjoy on a daily basis. She is funny, sunny and full of life. Thank you dear for my first blog award. You made my day, week, month even!!!



The rules are to pass on to 15 people/blogs that you like. I’ve been reading a lot of blogs for a long time now or at least in my bloglife timespan and these are in no particular order really. Well maybe, but you’ll never know for sure so stop over analyzing it.

1. Mrs Bunkers Chainsaw Emporium - I found Edith through another blog I started reading a long, long time ago and it was love at first sight. Probably one of the few that I’ve gone back to the beginning and read Every.Single.Post. She is that good. She is funny, sarcastic and witty as shit!! And she finds time to blog while juggling a crazy ass hoarding husband, two young kids and being a world class doctah!! Gosh she makes me proud!!!

2. A Gia’s Life! – Love, love, love me some Gia! We’ve even met when she came down here to Flo-rida for a visit with her daughter. She’s got a fabu blog about life and her adventures. It’s a fun read but she’ll bring you back down to earth with a post about something important and/or reminding us to help out with the troops which we all need every once in awhile. She’s very nurturing but I can count on her for a swift kick in the ass when I need it! Thank you Gia!

3. Report on Conditions – Capt Joe Schmoe is one of my buddies. He may not consider me a buddy but that’s ok lol!! He is a fabulous human being who happens to be a Capt in the Fire Dept and he saves lives & property and does it with a heaping dose of compassion. His blog is well written and it’s getting bigger by the day. I’ve been there since very near the beginning! ::big cheesy grin:: You should read him. Its worth the trip over there. Plus he wears a uniform, rides in a huge red truck for work and he probably smells good so what are you waiting for????

4. Nobody Asked Me – Old NFO has one of my favorite reads. He holds a special place in my heart because he’s a Retired Navy Pilot, P-3's to be exact. He’s old school and tells a great story, has a fabulous sense of humor and he’s a staunch Republican that believes in our country. I like that. A lot!! Thanks for tolerating a Navy moms questions now and again. =)

5. Booshy – Jessica Bold is one crazy ass, hella talented writer. She never, ever fails to make me laugh. Her blog is one of my must on a daily basis. Because she writes daily! And good quality stuffs. Plus she’s an ex-college athlete which makes her even more badass. She’s got basketball stats that will put other peoples stats to shame. Oh, she has some super cute fur-kids as well.

6. Rescuing Providence – Michael is a great blogger who has brought the street world of Paramedicine right to our computer screens. He’s a published author too! I found him awhile ago and go back on a regular basis. He really draws you in. Strong & compassionate is how I think of him when he works. His stories bring me right back to the feelings I had when I was working at the only job I ever loved. Being a Paramedic. Thank you Michael.

7. In A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World – USA Admiral’s blog is truly special and I've been reading him for quite some time as well. He keeps me abreast of the political doings of the third reich, umm I mean the current administration. I enjoy his concise reporting and I value his opinion on these matters. And he's in Florida, so he's my homeboy. =)

8. Bloviating Zeppelin - I've been reading BZ for some time now. I dont comment much if at all but his stalker tracker obviously knows I've been there. =) Smart as hell and very politically savy. He's doing his part to help me know how to do my part to save our country. LOVE him. Shhhhhhh, dont tell him I said that.

9. Verbal Incontinence - Sisu is an amazing woman, raising two boys on her own due to circumstances beyond her control. She's an amazing woman with a keen, quirky sense of humor. She hasnt been around all that much lately and I hope all is well.

These next few blogs are newer to me but I'm hooked and I like it!

10. The Chronicle of Linnnnnn - Linnnnn is a fantastic writer that really has some talent. She draws me in like no other. Another florida mom who keeps me laughing.

11. The Adventures Of Being A Dick - This dude Mepsipax just plain cracks.my.shit.up. I pee a little every time I visit his blog cause he does not hold back and he's truly a dick. Talented little fuhker. Go read it and tell me you dont laugh.

12. Ann T. Hathaway - Ann T. is just one of those people you run into in life that you say to yourself, "How the fuck did they get so smart and where the hell do they store all the information in that head???" This woman awes me. I just started commenting on her blog even though I'm terrified to do so most of the time out of fear of looking the fool. I'm getting better at it though. She makes me smarter. And thats a good thing.

These last blogs I read regularly but don’t comment on so I’m sure they have absolutely no clue who I am. BUT they are awesome just the same.

13. Instapinch – Pinch is another retired Naval Officer and pilot. He flew the fighter jets - F-14s Tomcats I believe which are just a mind blower to me quite honestly. He tells a good story and satisfies my need for the coolest pictures ever of Tomcats and other Navy fighter planes. He seems like a really nice guy too.

14. Neptunus Lex – Lex provides me tons of info on the goings on of the Navy, the military and the world in general. He's another retired Naval Officer and Navy fighter pilot (F-18 Hornet and others) and was a Top Gun instructer. It doesnt get much cooler than that. Worth a look and another nice guy.

15. M.D.O.D. - 911Doc has been around the block a time or two. I agree with his political leanings and love reading about his ER escapades. Although he has left the ER for the private Urgent Care sector recently. He has multiple docs that team blog over there too. Good stuff.

Well thats it. I think I covered all the bases. Go visit some of these blogs if you have never gone there off my blogroll. You'll be glad you did.

Have fun with your awards and dont be shy, post them proudly!!

Prepare Urselves

I got an award. A blog award. My first. Your thinking, "The Fuck??" Yeah, I thought that too. But someone likes me and now I get to bestow it on some blogs that I like.

So prepare yourselves. I shall bestow tomorow. Its too late to do it tonight and I spent too much time on my fabulous farm on Farmville and I'm tired. Ooops. Sorry.
Feast your eyes on my farmyness....
The barns and coops up on a rise

My badass house up on the hill for my farmer to kickback in after he's done workin the farm..


Representin'

=)

oh and a Remi update....He's been on the phenobarbitol (or peanutbutterballs as some of my old patients used to call it) for two days now (4 doses) and I'm happy to report that he is still the same spastic, crazy puppy so far. This is good. And the bloodwork came back mostly normal. His liver enzymes are normal but his thyroid is low. We, me and the smart doc are trying to figure out what to do with that little tidbit. I'll keep ya informed.

Have a good night all. I'm going to sleep hoping the people of Haiti can catch a flippen break sooner or later. I'm prayin for them.

It is Tuesday right??

Twofer Tuesday.

It dont get much better than this. My FAVORITE Elton John song.
Harmony.

Harmony and me
We're pretty good company
Looking for an island
In our boat upon the sea
Harmony, gee I really love you
And I want to love you forever
And dream of the never, never, never leaving harmony

This song runs a close second...and this video has really cool old NASA footage in it.
Rocket Man

Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids
In fact it's cold as hell
And there's no one there to raise them if you did
And all this science I don't understand
It's just my job five days a week
A rocket man, a rocket man

Remi Roo

This past summer I wrote about Remi having siezures. He was having petite mal and they were far and few between. You can read about it here. And see him having a siezure here.

I had to take the Rem-ster to the vet this morning. His seizures have been increasing in numbers, strength and length over the past month or so. Over this past weekend alone he had 5 grand mal and 2 episodes of near staticus epilepticus.

So he's on phenobarbitol twice a day and we have pill and liquid valium for sustained seizures that wont stop.

The vet had talked to me about doing some special testing for a condition called liver shunting. Although not common, its not uncommon in large breeds; Labs being one of them. Remi has a lot of the symptoms of this condition, but blood work is the only way to really find out. So she drew the bloodwork for general chemistry and this special liver function testing. Results tomorow.

$245.00 later he's home resting comfortably with his first dose of Phenobarbitol on board. We'll see how it goes.

Say a little prayer for my baby boy please.

New Procedures at the Airport

He's Tired

Old NFO over at Nobody Asked Me has posted a letter from Mr. Hall that is very well written and has tons of good points. Please take a moment to read...

I'm Tired.

Snow Flurries In SoFla - Yikes!!

I told you so!!!

Snow Flurries Reported In S. Florida
Last Snowfall In South Florida Was in 1977

POSTED: Friday, January 8, 2010
UPDATED: 9:02 am EST January 10, 2010
PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. -- Snow flurries were reported across the state and even in South Florida as a strong cold front moved into the state on Saturday.

Trained spotters reported seeing
snow flurries in Oakland Park . <----- I live less than a mile from Oakland Park!!!

Sunday night is expected to be the coldest night yet with temperatures in the 20s and 30s.

Farmers have been scrambling to protect their crops and the cold blast had South Floridians bundling up against the unusual chill.

A freeze watch has been issued from Saturday evening through Sunday morning for areas in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

Residents in the central part of the state reported seeing snow flurries and sleet early Saturday morning. Forecasters with the National Weather Service in Melbourne said sleet was reported in Brevard and Volusia counties, along with a mixture of rain. Naples had a few snow flurries.

The cold weather even forced the cancelation of some events Sunday. The 3 Kings Festival at the Pompano Beach City Center mall was canceled because of the bone chilling temperatures.

A slow warming-up period will begin early next week, with temperatures forecast to climb back up to 75 by Thursday. <------- Yesssssssss!

Its all good. I'll be warm again by late this week.

Beaker Chronicles 2

Its been some time since you've seen Beaker around these parts. In fact the last time was way back here. And here. I appologize up front for the length of this post but we've got some catchin up to do as he's been quite busy since then!!

He went to the keys with Josh and I back in October...

























He plays a mean game of Scrabble too.




















He swam in the pool, played with Remi and went to Bingo with us....




















































And then I did something every finger puppet mother should do. I let him see the world. Ginger took him back to Boston with her and he went on some travels with her.

Beaker in Boston






















Gingers friend thinks he is Beakers long lost daddy. They do show a slight resemblence to one another...


















And then Ginger and Beaker were off on their big trip....with a stop in Chicago before boarding their flight to the other side of the big pond. They should've stopped in to see Edith of Mrs Bunkers Chainsaw Emporium, but not much time inbetween flights.















Beaker in PRAGUE with a local!!!


















Havin a beer in the Biergarten in Dresden....


















Poor Beaker drank too much!















And listening to the heavenly voices sing Ava Maria in a really old church in Vienna..

















I cant remember what this place is called but I think its in Vienna..(look for Beaker dead center)















Beaker finally came home in late December. I put him straight to work, and caught him on Facebook at work!!! Shame!

















And he had a fabulous Christmas with his family. =)


















Thanks for indulging me!

WTF Al Gore?!?!

Knock knock knock....umm Al, are you there?? Oh no, I forgot, your flying in your jet all over the world trippin on your own carbon footprint creating nothing but hellacious heatwaves for us to all roast to death in.

Oh wait, what was the temperature in Sunny South Florida this morning and yesterday morning and the day before??? Yeah, a balmy 34 degrees. I was wondering why my A/C hasnt kicked on in over a week. We're roasting all right, while pulling icicles out of our ASSES. Get a grip buddy and find something else to bitch about and scare the world with. Stop being so bitter that Monica didnt choose to play your flute. Although you should be thankful because if you had done anything with her and Tipper had found out she'd have ripped the poor little sluts tits off.

Orlando airport shut down. Nooooooo, not another stinky skidmark stained underwear bomber. They.Have.No.DeIcers.For.The.Planes! Doh!!

Ok, so I'm gonna write an open letter to mother nature because her son Snow Miser is trying to pull a fast one on all of us. The word on the street is that another cold front is coming thru this Friday night and there exists the small possibility of rain Saturday morning. They're talking temps in the low 30's. Now my experience growing up in the great white northeast is that rain + low 30's = snow. WTF? Although I think it would be really cool to see snow flurries in Fort Lauderdale I'm running out of patience with the whole cold thing. We Have NO heat in my office building either. HELLO???I'm over it. Its exhausting to think about what you have to wear in the morning so you dont freeze all day. I've lost that ability after 20 years in South Florida.

Even the boys are not diggin this weather so much. At first they'd go outside and be all super frisky running and jumping around enjoying their fur coats for probably the first times in their short lives. Now its out to do the business then back in. And thank goodness for them! They keep me extra snuggly warm at night when the winds are howling outside. Please note, I broke out the flannel penguin sheets for the cold weather.


And the cold weather must have made Jake lose his mind cause he's all up on my pillow which is a big No No!

I must say at 6:51am this morning while standing on the back porch waiting for the boys to finish their business a beautiful sunrise presented itself.


Stay warm where ever you are my friends.

The ghost of Christmas 2009

Our Christmas Tree

What a great Christmas. Previously I posted that 4 of the 7 siblings would be together for the first time in many years. Well many years was figured out and the last time this group of siblings was together at one time was 1988.

WOWOWOWOWOWOW!! Where has the time gone?? It almost made me sad to think that we hadnt shared this great holiday with each other in so long. It wasnt for lack of trying but distance apart has a lot to do with it. We live from Massachusettes to New Jersey to Pennsylvania to Texas and Florida. That distance and obligations to other parts of my siblings respective inlaws/families. It was decided that we are going to try and get us ALL together sometime very soon. We need to do this for our parents. They enjoyed this holiday more than us I think. And thats what its about when we (my siblings and I) get to this age. Trying to make your parents happy because at 77 and 75 years old you just never know anymore. So we're shooting for their 50th Wedding Anniversary. Which I believe is this summer. =)

Anyway, good times were had, New years Eve was a blast as well. We went to a fabulous club and partied the night away. I drank entirely too much over the past two weeks and think I wont have another adult beverage until at least Memorial Day. Ok, maybe just a little green beverage on St. Patty's.

Lauren was here for just over two weeks and she squeezed and hugged me more than I did it to her. She got me a great Christmas present!!! She brought it with her own money she earned!!! Miracles never cease!! I got a spiffy Dallas Cowboys jersey...Witten!!! One of my favorite players. It was the perfect gift and she put a lot of thought into it and that made it even more special.


She left last Friday right after our New Years Day dinner. It was a sad parting but I vowed I'm going to visit her in Oklahoma in March or April. (fingers crossed!!) Her training has been pushed up so it doesnt look like she'll be making it home again until late next fall. So if thats the case, depending on the needs of the Navy she may wait for Christmas to come home. If she's not on deployment. We'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

So here are some pics for your viewing pleasure.

We only did a tree at my parents since I live next door and Remi likes to eat Christmas trees we thought this was the less stressfull thing to do and it might let him live till after Christmas.

My older sister Debbie and her boyfriend Tery


Can we open presents already?!?!? Lauren's still a little kid when it comes to Christmas Morning. =)


After a long night out with her old buddies a nap was in order. Remi <3's him some Lauren.


Lauren plays with the boys in the back yard.


Remi waiting for the passsssssss. Throw the ball already!!!


We frolicked on the beach one afternoon with our neighbor George....

silly goose


This says it all. =)


My beach posse


We were here at Midnight on New Years Eve. This is Manor a new club and it is off the chain!! The music is pumpin and my god hott mens everywhere. Great club that we went to multiple times over that past two weeks. I will go again soon!!

Midnight balloon drop


I guess thats it for now. I hope you all had a great Christmas as well.

And I'd be remiss if I didnt mention.........

HOW BOUT THEM COWBOYS!!!!!!!!!!!!! NFC EAST DIVISION CHAMPS BABY!!!!!!!!!!

New Years Resolution

I dont have one. I dont want one. Does that make me a bad person? Doomed to a year of bad luck, aimlessly searching for that one great thing I should of done and didnt??

I dont care. =) I'm not making a promise to myself that I break a week, two weeks or a month later. Thats worse in my book.

This year I wing it.

New Addiction

I have a somewhat addictive personality when it comes to certain things. Thank goodness I dont like drugs/alchohol or this could be a real problem.

I'm hooked. Big.

I give you my Farm on Farmville.

And boy do I have big plans. I'm going with elevated land and a big house as soon as I save up enough coinage. Watch out Farmville land! I only started two weeks ago and I'm at level 27 already. Although its getting harder and takes longer to level up now. My goal is level 50 by the end of January. Good thing I cant play at work. ;)


The holidays went really well. I had a fantastic time with my siblings, family, friends and Lauren. I'm still trying to recover as my older sister just left yesterday. It was a longgggg two weeks. I've got pics and some fun stories that I need to get motivated to write about. Hope everyone had fun!