HALLOWEEN!!

Since we live on a sailboat, home decor tends to be done in much smaller (compact) doses.  This fall I decided to go with flowers and a few cute little squashes to match!

This year Sean and I were invited to an authentic haunted house by one of Sean’s coworkers.  This place was amazing…these folks got their neighbors involved 6 weeks in advance to start building the motion-sensored tricks.  It took them 2 whole weeks of decorating all throughout their house (and the outside) to get ready for the big night!  It was amazing!  Scary goblins jumping out of every corner…spooky music and lights…it had it all!  The neighbors to the left set up a big screen tv to show scary movies throughout the night and the neighbors to the right turned their garage into a haunted buffet!!  It was a very fun night!

Sean and I don’t ordinarily dress up for Halloween, b/c well we have no creative minds when it comes to scary stuff.

However, since we were invited to a haunted house, we decided we’d try.  Sean went as a zombie scuba Steve and I went as a zombie chef.  Thanks to my little sister, Taylor, for contributing the idea that zombie ‘anything’ makes for a good costume!

After last year’s Halloween, I went shopping for the dogs costumes for the 2009 Halloween.  I know that seems way early, but I got both of their costume for under $5 thanks to the after-halloween sale!  I should go get some costumes for Sean and I for next year too!

Mackenzie decided she wanted to be a pumpkin…isn’t she adorable??

Madison decided she’d be the perfect ghost.  She actually just had surgery last week and was still wearing the cone, and the hood on her costume fit perfectly over it.  It’s super cute!!

We had a great Halloween weekend, a wonderful way to end October.  Speaking of a great way to end the month, my good friend, Joann Ocampo,  just got engaged!!  Congratulations Joann…I can’t wait to see how beautiful you will be as a bride!  Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you!  Muah!!

Now that November is here, Sean and I are looking forward to celebrating our 1 year anniversary, getting ready to see family over Thanksgiving, and making plans for Christmas!!

What are you planning for November??

Tonight Sean and I got all dolled up and went out for BBQ at Famous Dave’s!  We split a pork and brisket plate…the food was delish!!

Afterwards, we ran over to catch:

I have to say…It. Was. Fabulous!!!

I have always been a big fan of MJ’s music and it was great to see what he was working on.  There were some new songs in the movie, plus many of the great older ones!

We really had a great time.  Unfortunately, ColdStone Creamery was closed by the time we got out of the movie, so no pumpkin icecream tonight.

Looking forward to the Gator game tomorrow and oh, Halloween!!

In the clouds…literally!

I recently returned from the better part of a month’s stay in FL with my mom…discussing my new path in life & how lame paths are b/c people are constantly trying to find theirs, but always seem to crash into everyone else’s path.

Coming home, I flew into a new-to-m airport, Memphis!, & thoroughly enjoyed the stroll through musical history as I dashed to catch my connecting flight that was boarding before I even got off the first flight.

My final flight of this adventure from Memphis to LAX was the most TURBULENT flight of my life…& I fly a lot!!

Most of you know my parents divorced when I was young, so visiting the two families created lots of opportunities to fly…more so than the average family vacation flights.

Consequently, I LOVE to fly!  Packing I could do without.  But flying is fun!

Of course everyone is excited about where they are going (except funeral attendees, can’t imagine they are too excited), but me, I look forward to the plane ride.

It’s true proof of packing skills if I manage to cram my entire life into a suitcase or two & they pass the weight limit test at check in…it is so embarrassing to have to crack open your suitcases at the check-in counter & transfer items to another bag.  If you manage to guess-timate the correct amount of weight & move it to another bag, you have to pick up all the items that have fallen out & shove it all back in…attempting to sit on two suitcases to zip them closed, all while the attendant waits & the 400-person long line stares at you with impatience in their eyes is very tough.

So, this time I passed. Barely.  Now it’s off to the security line, where the art of TURBO STRIPPING is practiced.  This very difficult form of artistry entails ripping out your laptop and any other electrical device that some genius decided could be used as a bomb, taking off all extra layers of clothing, including you shoes (even if they are one-layer flip-flops), putting everyone into plastic bins that never seem to want to come apart, holding your boarding pass & license to be rechecked b/c the scrutiny of twelve security agents isn’t enough  to ensure you are the same person on the same flight as you were 6 steps ago, pushing your 2 carry-ons & at least 2 bins with your 2 arms  through a conveyor belt all while the people behind you act like they are trying to escape a fire coming at them from the security line.  Whoo…made it.  You may now put your shoes back on , but oh, not here…you’ll hold up the line.

Finally I made it to the plane & my seasonal weight test confirms although I struggle with my weight, I can still fit comfortably into my airplane seat.  A feeling of “ah” comes over me as I am glad to be going on another trip!

This feeling is quickly interrupted by a blast of icy air coming from my feet, to which I promptly wrap myself up like a mummy with whatever blanket & sweaters I’ve remembered to bring.

Did I mention I love flying??

I like the reclining seats, the arm rest that I always hog if possible, the cute little tables folding out from the back of the guy in front of me’s chair, a.k.a. his flotation device, the flight attendants who bring drinks and snacks & never have an answer for why there are no more peanuts on flights anymore, the captain who always says ‘hello’ & tells me all about his flight plans and the weather as though I might change my traveling based on this info, & the view of watching things getting smaller and smaller before disappearing under the clouds, then new sites appear from under the clouds and get larger and larger before a jolt on the landing tarmac reminds me this part of the trip is nearing the end.

So, back to my ULTRA TURBULENT flight from Memphis to LAX.  As I’m sitting there watching the wings on the plane jostle around while grasping my drinks and snacks so not to loose them in the abyss under my seat, I started to wonder how the good ole’ cap-i-tan feels when he starts to feel the plane jumping around like a Mexican jumping bean.

Does he think to himself:  ”Crap, gotta hold on, keep steady, stay cool” or “oooh, hope those folks don’t remember my name from earlier, I don’t need any more complaints” or, maybe “Gosh, I hope this doesn’t bring the plane down…that would be the icing on an already crappy day.”

Me, personally, I don’t mind the turbulence much, unless my drink spills or I have to hold my bladder for an hour before the captain turns the fasten-seat-belt sign off.  That I’d mind.

Ah. Anyway.  I’m now home again, back from a lovely trip with some new goals, slight changes & a new pet, but I’ll be blogging about all that later on…

On our way back from Panama, we flew into Florida for a few weeks of family time.  Sean’s parents were unfortunately going out of town around the same time we came into town, so we didn’t get to see much of them.  However, they graciously did the airport run (twice) and let us borrow one of their cars (the nice Mustang) to travel to Panama City to see my parents.  Here are some highlights:

the girls sharing Madeline’s chair in the car; Miss Madeline playing in the ocean

We really missed our pups while we were gone, but Mackenzie really had a wonderful time at Camp Kritter.  She hung out with her mom, Madeline, all day chasing cats, lizards, squirrels, etc… while my mom cleaned and fed all the rehabbing wildlife.  What. A. Helper!!

a baby possum (one of many); mom and I rushing off to Kritter eating breakfast in the car; a very baby squirrel napping after a large meal

Mom had a bunch of possums at home…cutest things ever!  We went to Kritter pretty much every morning for cage cleaning, morning feedings, and general everyday duties.  Kritter is a lot of work, but it was mostly all fun.

Miss Marsha, an osprey being raised at Kritter; a woodpecker whose appetite could drive even a chef up a wall; a hungry pelican with a hurt foot

Mom has been raising this osprey since she was a baby and while very nervous around others, Marsha was doing great.  The woodpeckers were my little project…or nightmare, whatever.  They were always hungry…ALWAYS.  And when woodpeckers are hungry they just squawkandsquawkandsquawkandsquawk.  Sheeesh!  The pelican came in and lived with Miss Marsha for a bit; he had a broken foot and a hole in his side, but recovered nicely.

a pirate ship, clearly; my parent’s boat, The Pretty Lady (i.e., my mom); Sean being captain for the day

We finally got to go fishing after about a week and had a blast!  All the tourists boats were out and about, but we made it through the pass just fine.  My parents have a nice boat, perfect for fishing!  Sean didn’t catch anything on this trip because he spent most of the day driving the boat, but he had just as much fun.

Mickey plays tug with a dolphin; I pose with my red grouper; a beautiful gulf coast sunset

At our first waypoint, Mickey caught a grouper…but the dolphin wanted it too.  He spent so much time reeling and resting, reeling some more and finally the dolphin surfaced.  We were so worried that the dolphin had eaten the fish and would be hurt by the hook in his stomach.  We hesitantly cut the line and hoped all would be well…then mom and I spotted something floating on the other side of the boat.  Guess what!  It was the grouper!  The dolphin just wanted to play, so as soon as we cut the line, he dropped the fish which floated to the top.  We retrieved it and celebrated!!

shark, shark, shark!!!

A little while later, I got a big bite!!  I tugged, reeled, pulled, rested…then started the process all over.  Nothin’ givin’.  We thought it was a big huge grouper who’d gone under a rock or something.  After about a half hour of fighting, we were finally making some progress.  From the depths of the sea, I saw a very large fish coming up.  As he got closer, I realized…it. was. a. SHARK!!!  Yikes…I’d only seen sharks this close in aquariums, with very thick glass viewing walls (which I stand far away from).  Now here I’d caught one!  We pulled it up to the boat to snap some photos, then cut him loose.  I have no idea what kind of shark it was (I should probably look him up), but he was mean looking. and cool. AWESOME!

Mackenzie meets a grouper, she likey; our catch for the day, 4 grouper and a scamp; Mackenzie is fascinated by the jumping bait fish

Mackenzie was excited to see all the fish we caught…she likes fish.  Sean and Mickey filleted all the fish and brought it up to the condo for me to cook.  My parents were skeptical about my fish tacos, but when they tasted them their skepticism turned to serenity.

Sean poses underwater; a sand dollar scurries back under the sand; a shot of me swimming with my snorkel

After fishing all day, we stopped at Shell Island for a quick dip.  Sean and I had bought some new snorkeling gear and got to use our new underwater camera to capture some memories!

the owl is getting situated being so close to me; a barred owl ready for release; one push and he’s off into the real world

Around the end of our trip, mom had a barred owl who was ready to be released.  After a long drive out towards the area where our old cabin is located (which brought up fond memories of my adolescence) we found the perfect place to release him.  All went well and the owl went off into the big world to find his own path…it was sweet.

We drove back to Jacksonville on a Friday morning to hang out with Sean’s dad for the evening.  I cooked short ribs with cous cous and steamed broccoli for dinner with Adam and Bethany…all enjoyed the food treat.  We left on Saturday morning for Phoenix…more on that part of the trip later!

So, I’ve slacked off and let my blogging go by the wayside for many months now, but I promised my family and friends I’d take tons of photos and keep everyone apprised of our adventure…here goes….

I had a wonderful week visiting family and friends in Arizona and Florida, and I thank you all for hosting me!!  I got to go to Gainesville to see old friends for dinner thanks to Christi, and had such a wonderful time!  I left Tampa today around 1pm headed for West Palm Beach, FL via an amtrak train.  What a ride!!  I was originally supposed to rent a car and drive down, but because I’m under 25, the fees for renting a car are through the roof!  My sister, Missie, suggested I take the train and low and behold, there is a train route from Tampa to West Palm…what luck!!  So for a mere $26 (down from $80 to rent a car for one day), I took the train!  Below are some photos from my trip:

Outside View of Train

Inside the train

Florida Oranges

Deli Pack Picnic

The train was really quite nice!  I sat next to an elderly woman from Cuba who loved dogs and we talked a lot about her train travels in the past.  There was a separate dining car where I purchased the cutest deli pack filled with Salami slices, asiago cheese spread, crackers, chips, applesauce, cookies and even an Emergen-C drink mix packet.  It was a bit much to finish all at once, but everything was de-lish!  Each seat has a 12-volt outlet plug, so I was able to work on my laptop the whole time, while keeping my battery alive!  The seats reclined all the way back with a foot-rest and they were very comfy.  The people kept to themselves, but were friendly and they really do come around and check for your ticket!!  The only downside was the temperature…freezing…but I should have thought to bring a sweater, thank God I brought a blanket!

The ride was fairly quick (roughly the same time it would have taken for me to drive) and when I arrived I was refreshed and ready for work!  One of my new boat mates, Scott, picked me up and it was a short drive to the rental house.  All in all a fun day of travel!

I’ll post pics of the rental tomorrow and hope to take pics of the boat tomorrow too!  Night!

One of my very best friends, Christi, started her own Event Coordination business in 2008 and I thought I’d showcase it here to help get the word out.  Throughout 2008, we worked together throwing ideas around for both of our businesses.  I started Mackenzie’s Pet Pantry back in November, 2008 and she was instrumental in getting me motivated and helping with product ideas and design.

Christi Winsor, Matron of Honor

Christi was my Matron of Honor and actually planned my whole wedding!  I was never all that into wedding stuff or very good at planning things, so she took charge and created the most perfect day for my husband and me.  We had the most lovely wedding and she did it all on our measily budget!

Winsor Event Studio

She had also done many other events and some are showcased on her website!  Her friend, Janeen, gave Christi some graphic design help and produced a fantastic website!  It’s finally up and ready so, go check out her site and send it on to any of your family or friends who are planning their wedding!  She is awesome and can make any event awesome!

Thanks for all your great work, Christi!  I hope your business takes off fast and stays strong throughout the years!  I defintely be calling you again when Sean and I renew our vows and if any of our future kids get married!  Love you!