Back to normal?

Finally . . . yesterday was the first day in a long time that I feel great . . . health wise, that is.  Otherwise . . . married life is treating me good and I am so happy!


What is "normal" anyway?  I've pondered this question through the years and the definition keeps changing!


Today, the definition of "normal" is not feeling sick which really makes me happy.


It has been a while since I've updated a listing of my recent blog posts . . . I'll include that with my next post.  


Since getting married last month, The Captain and I have been all over town getting new IDs, changing records, blah blah blah.  However, to make the ponderous tasks fun, we decided to take the camera and visit cool places in Tampa and turn them into blog posts for "My Florida Paradise."  I've already done a few if you want to check them out . . .


There is so much more to do as far as the name change, but sitting in offices for hours at a time while feeling sick has made me tend to put so many of those tasks off.  So . . . now that I'm feeling better, we will be finishing that up . . . and taking more photos of the Tampa area.


Being the foodie that I am (and so is The Captain), I love kitchen gadgets in general.  While we were visiting MacDill Air Force Base's Veteran Appreciation Day, we stopped off at the BX to do some shopping.  Much to our delight, a representative from the infamous infomercial kitchen knives company was giving a presentation of a new line of goodies that are being featured on QVC.  We got some free kitchen gadgets, but the best was getting the most awesome deal on a bunch of knife goodies including one of those garnishing tools for a very small fraction of the price.  Gotta love a great deal!


Hope everyone is having a terrific Tuesday!

Silly me . . .

I'm celebrating my first week as The Captain's wife :-) . . . yes, it is ok to call me a romantic fool because I am!


We have spent most of the week sitting in governmental agency offices . . . officially changing my name.  WOW I had forgotten about all the bureaucratic red tape involved with getting married.  And we still aren't done.


By far the biggest nightmare was updating my driver's license.  OMG . . . it took HOURS of sitting and waiting and then the process itself was very ponderous.  Good thing I'm organized and was ready with more than enough paperwork . . . each piece of paper was scrutinized and then verified by yet another person.  By the time they took my photo for the new license, I felt like a criminal taking a mug shot.


Trying to get a fishing license proved to be yet another ponderous procedure although it was the same office, same computer system . . . however, being that only SOME of my paperwork is in my new name and their database had not yet updated . . . NO FISHING LICENSE after sitting and waiting for another period of time and then trying to get it processed.


We spent all afternoon in that one office . . . and I'm not the most patient person, especially without a cigarette all that time!


I would do it all again . . . I love being The Captain's wife :)  


Have an awesome Labor Day weekend everybody!

Our new beginning!

The Captain and I were married yesterday . . . now I can finally relax.  It was a beautiful and spiritual wedding ceremony at my mom's house in the presence of immediate family and long time friends who are considered family.  We wrote our own vows and my Aunt Sandra read the blessings.  My brother came well stocked with champagne and the toasts went on for a while . . . very special and touching!


The theme was tropical . . . everyone was dressed in mainly hawaiian shirts . . . the wedding cake was so cute, complete with palm trees and colorful flip flops that are refrigerator magnets.  


Although I quit drinking liquor a year or so ago, when I arrived at my mom's house, I had to have a drink to calm down a bit.  My legs were shaking so badly . . . being the center of attention makes me very nervous.  Having to speak in front of a group is a form of torture.  But I made sure that the vows I wrote were short and sweet.


All in all, it was a very special day, one of the most beautiful days of my life.  It was really awesome to see those friends and family I hadn't seen in a while . . . and the most awesome is being The Captain's wife!

Sensational news and hurricanes

Bless their hearts, they can't help it . . . the news people at The Weather Channel have been salivating over  Hurricane Irene . . . they can't hide that gleam in their eyes.  It is what they are all about . . . they live for bad weather!  The Captain and I found their elation amusing the other day as I left it on the channel to monitor the storm since I was so worried it would cancel our wedding plans.


Really, this is a serious storm!  I've been through many hurricanes and tropical storms and have had to endure DAYS without power . . . if you are in the path of this storm, please be prepared.  Don't stay home if you are advised to evacuate!


Back to the Weather Channel . . . this morning Al Roker and his sidekick are reporting from the beach IN THE DARK.  I didn't catch exactly where they are reporting from, but I'm assuming somewhere on the coast of North Carolina.  Why not the Bahamas where the storm is relentless at the moment?  Perhaps it was already too dangerous to travel to that area.  


On a serious note, I'm really concerned for the Bahamas and hope the residents had somewhere else to go.  My prayers have been with them . . .


All this brings back memories of Dan Rather (many many years ago) clinging to a pole as a hurricane literally swept him off his feet . . . anything for a sensational story.  I'm wondering if he ever did that again . . . can't remember!


The countdown is on for our wedding and the jitters have gotten the best of me!  In a few days I'll be a wife again :)  I'm so happy!!


Peace, love and happiness to all . . . if you are in the path of the storm, please take care!

NEW BLOG POSTS . . .


Gina's Italian Kitchen


Buttery Pastry Dough


Black Bean Hummus


Garlic and Sun Dried Tomato Hummus


Falafel Sandwich


Ham and Cheese Spirals


Spaghetti with Roasted Tomatoes


Apple Walnut Sticky Buns


Crispy Cornmeal Shrimp




Peace Love Happiness


Intentions Without Energy


Indescribable Joy


The Journey Within




LaBelladiva


Recycled Newspaper Coasters


Man Shirt Messenger Bag


Beachy Shell Frame




Fabulous Frugalista


Free Mr. Food EBook


Free Quilt Patterns




Gina's Music Memories


Michael Jackson ~ Behind The Mask


Love Songs From The 80's Movies


One ~ The Bee Gees




Subtropical Gardening


Nature's Miracle ~ Composting

A wedding and a hurricane lurking

Isn't that special?  Although it is still a tropical storm at the moment, the impending Hurricane Irene is lurking around the corner, waiting around for just the right time to ruin our wedding.


Prayer warriors are badly needed . . . the storm just has to go somewhere else like way off into the Atlantic Ocean or the Caribbean mountains have to tear it up to nothing!


One thing I really hate is being the center of attention . . . it makes me so nervous.  The wedding jitters have gotten to me very badly and I've been sick for the past week or so.  It gets better and then comes back.


Maybe this is a sign that we should just run off and make it legal . . . we already have the marriage license.

Fawk You Friday

This is my first week participating in the blog hop/meme Fawk You Friday . . . a weekly venting session!


The good news is TGIF . . . the weekend is almost here . . . now for the venting :)


Fawk you politics . . . I'm sick of all the bickering and propaganda!  The world economy is in trouble . . . at this point just find a way to get along and FIX IT . . .


Fawk you stress . . . you are on my last nerve!


Fawk you sinus problems . . . I seriously need to get some stuff done and you are keeping me from feeling well enough to do it . . .


Fawk you to the stuff that needs to be done . . . where is that magic wand?


Fawk you to the awful cold or flu that my mom has . . . it scares me when she gets so sick . . .


Fawk you to having my days and nights mixed up!!


Fawk you wedding plans . . . I'm ready to get married at the court house like I wanted to do to begin with!


Fawk you if you are offended by my post . . . I needed to vent!


Thank you to My Mad Mind for hosting this blog hop/meme :)  If you would like to join in, click on the logo to check it out and see who else is venting . . .





Got big plans for the weekend?  


The Captain and I are definitely going to Busch Gardens this weekend so we can start building up our endurance for a walking marathon we will be participating in benefitting diabetes research.  It feels good to know that not only will we be doing the healthy thing for ourselves, we will be doing good for others. 


Have an awesome Friday!

Wedding overwhelm . . .

There hasn't been much on my mind lately except for our wedding plans.  I'm deliriously happy, madly in love and overwhelmed all at the same time. The details will be posted after it is all over with . . .


Although some of my blogs have not been updated lately, I have still managed to get some blog posts written.


Blessings to all . . . hope you are all having a wonderful week!

NEW BLOG POSTS . . .


Gina's Italian Kitchen


Roasted Red Pepper Hummus


Jalapeno Hummus


Spicy Roast Pork w/Rosemary Potatoes


Grandma's Chopped Barbecue


Fresh Corn Cakes


Chocolate Eclair Cake


Serious Grilled Cheese Sandwich




Peace Love Happiness


The Proposal of Marriage




LaBelladiva


Beaded Flip Flops


Fabric Button Earrings


Painted Floor Cloth


Modge Podge Pots


Beautiful Decoupaged Jars




Fabulous Frugalista


Frugal Household Remedies


Be on HGTV


Free Jar Labels




Gina's Music Memories


Muse


MTV Turns 30


The Beatles ~ If I Fell


MTV ~ The Original VJs




My Florida Paradise


Fort Desoto Park ~ St. Petersburg, Florida




Subtropical Gardening


Soil recipes for container gardening