Halloween Puppet, October, 2008

I have to admit, I love Halloween. I love all the creepy spiders, the cute witches and scary mummies. The scarier, the better although I am quite a scaredy cat!!!

In preparation for Halloween, Hailey made this cute little Halloween Puppet. He's not one bit scary but he is extremely cute!!!

We also made some Chinese lanterns. Sergio's is a ghost, Hailey's is a monster and mine is a black spider.

I'll have to post photos of those soon.

The Quest for a Pumpkin Patch!!!

October 19, 2008

I love to take Hailey to the Pumpkin Patch, mostly to get some cute photos of her picking a pumpkin.

This year, it appears that Pumpkin Patches are a thing of the past here in South Florida.

I searched on line and all the Pumpkin Patches I could find were up in North Florida.

The closest one I found was at a church close to the beach, on Key Biscayne, about 25 minutes from home.

I did a mapquest and off we went in search of this Pumpkin Patch.

Before we even got there, Sergio said, "You know, there's probably only going to be 5 pumpkins there".


He loves to tease me because of my insane obsession to drive to the ends of the earth to get some photo shots!!!

When we arrived at the Patch, I have to say, I was quite disappointed. There was a tent with pumpkins under it and pretty much no decorations such as the scarecrows I hoped Hailey would pose with.

There were maybe 50 pumpkins under the tent.

But I had to get my photos, we drove all that way.

So Hailey picked her pumpkin and we took a few photos.

Here they are. Not 100's of photos as I'd envisioned I'd take but at least a few to make my Pumpkin Patch page for 2008.

Weekend Fun at the Park

October 24, 2008

We recently discovered the cutest park down by Key Biscayne(close to the beach).

It's surrounded by lots of trees and has the neatest play equipment I've ever seen.

Hailey absolutely loved this place. She had so much fun.

There's a spider web thing that you climb. When you reach the center of it, there's a little seat to sit on.

There's even a rock climbing wall.

It's just not your typical park.

Here are some photos from that day.

Confession, I am an addict!!!

So it's official, today I realized that I am totally addicted, no fixing me, no turning back, I am a insanely addicted to scrapbooking.

Some of you might not even know what scrapbooking is(I won't associate with you if you admit this to me!!!) Not know what scrapbooking is, that is IMPOSSIBLE.

My world revolves around it, I live it, drink it, eat it and bathe in it every day. I think about it all the time(while at work, in traffic, etc).

Scrapbooking is basically putting your photos on a page with pretty decorations(known as embellishments) and most importantly, journaling. So it's a photo or photos on a page, decorated nicely with writing. It's a beautiful way to showcase your photos and make them even more meaningful.

I've always loved taking photos, for as long as I can remember.

When I discovered scrapbooking, I knew it was indeed the perfect craft for me. I mean photos and writing, two of my favorite creative outlets. How much better could life get!!!

Then I've got the cutest subject, Hailey. My oh my, do I take lots of photos.

So today, on our way in to school and work, I'm driving behind a car and as I get closer to it, I notice 4 cute whimsical flower stickers on the back of the car.

One was purple, one green, one blue and one yellow. Immediately into my mind pops a page with Hailey and the flowers on it. I suddenly look over at Hailey to see if she's noticed the flowers on the back of the car. I can see she's looking straight ahead but she doesn't say anything so I continue driving.

After about a minute, she looks at me and says: "You like those flowers, don't you?"

I reply, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do, I especially like the purple one(it's my favorite color).

She smiles at me and says, "You think that's a scrapbook car, don't you?"

I am assuming she was saying that the flowers remind me of scrapbooking.

I started laughing so hard because it was so true. She lives with my obsession, sees it constantly and really understands that I am totally addicted!!!

Oh, how I love this girl. She does understand me!!!!

What a happy day!!!

So Thankful To Be At Work Today!!! Hurricane Ike Missed us!

I have to say the weekend was quite stressful with the impending doom of Ike possibly striking South Florida. On Friday I sat at work, contemplating that that day might be the last day I was able to get in a full day's work until who knew when.

A worry wart by nature, these storms take a great toll on me, not for the best.

I have to say, as I sit here at work today, I am forever thankful that Florida was spared this terrible storm and that we can resume our daily lives(yes, even including work)!!!

I pray that those struck by this terrible storm get all the help and assistance they will need.

Sanibel Island, Floriday - 4th of July

We recently went on a mini vacation to Sanibel Island, Florida. We had never been there. It was so peaceful and beautiful. We went for the 4th of July. We had a great time, the days were absolutely gorgeous.

Here are some photos. ENJOY!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

My Silly Girl, August 27, 2008

This Wednesday morning was one of those crazy mornings where I'm running around with my head cut off.

My body is going in one direction, my mind off in another.

I was running late this morning, trying to get Hailey's lunch together, trying to get her milk ready, screaming at her to hurry up since we were already running late.

As I call her one last time to tell her I'm leaving, she rushes to the door and I notice she's got something in her hair.

It's a headband kind of hair bandana that has blonde braids down the side.

She looked so cute and so funny!

I couldn't help but laugh and take some photos.

At that moment, it didn't matter that I was running late, this just made my day!!!

I love my silly girl!!!

No Fear!!! August , 9, 2008

While in Orlando, we took Hailey to a little amusement park.

Besides pools and swimming, amusement parks rank high on her list and she has no fear.

The higher the ride, the better.

It's so fun to watch her have so much fun.

She could ride the rides for hours on end if we'd let her.

Webkinz Go To Blizzard Beach(August 10, 2008)

Hailey is so obsessed with Webkinz.

In case you don't know what they are, they are little stuffed animals that you can also inter act with on line. You play games in order to earn money to buy them food, furniture, decorate their rooms, etc.

They are really cute. Hailey takes a few everywhere she goes. She has quite a collection.

In any case, before our trip to Blizzard Beach I asked her if she'd be taking any Webkinz with her. She of course said YES!

What I found so intriguing is that she selected the Webkinz that are animals that live in the cold.

For instance, Ariel(the penguin), Scout(husky dog), Snowball(Polar Bear) and Finny(the seal).

It really made me smile that she took the time to select one that matched the theme of the place we were going.

She really is quite a thoughtful little girl, always trying to get everything to match. She puts so much thought into everything she does. I love that about her!!!

Disney's Blizzard Beach(August 10, 2008)

I had been feeling kind of guilty that I hadn't really taken Hailey anywhere extremely kid oriented for some weeks now when one evening she was looking through my treasure chest and discovered some photos we'd taken at Disney's Blizzard Beach when she was about 3 or 4 years old. She didn't seem to remember much of the park except for the giant ice cubes in one of the pools that you hang onto and try to walk across.

She enjoyed looking at the photos and had lots of questions. Her last question was, "Mommy, when can we go there again?" This was said in her sweet little voice, the one that comes out when she's trying to get something out of me:)

Of course, instantly, that one question ended all my guilt. I immediately said, "I'll try to take you before school starts again".

And so it happened. A week before school was to start, off we headed to Blizzard Beach.

The day turned out to be perfect, scorching hot. The park was really crowded but she managed to ride all the slides she wanted.

Unlucky for me that she really wanted to go on the highest slide that's in the park. It's called Summit Plummet and it's a 12 story drop!!! I had told her there was no way I was going to go on that slide.

Sergio is totally afraid of heights so that slide was out of the question for him as well.

That left only Hailey but I couldn't let her stand in that long line by herself. My original plan was to stand in line with her and once she reached the top, I'd leave her to go down the slide and I'd climb all the way back down down a very long staircase. But when we got to the top, I couldn't see myself going back down through all the people so I opted for the quicker option, going down the slide as well.

Sounded so easy but when I got to the top and looked down, I really thought I was going to pass out. The drop down is so intense and we were so high up. But no room to turn around, I went for it and let me tell you, I will never do that again.

I felt like I was falling out of a building. It was horrible!!!

Even Hailey said afterwards that we should have taken the curvy slide, which was a few drops lower than the highest one she'd chosen!!!

Back To School and Hurricanes!!!

School was supposed to begin on August 18th but low and behold, instead of heading off to school, we stayed home, awaiting the arrival of Hurricane Fay.

Of course, Hailey was happy to be home instead of getting back to school. Oh to be a child again, having no concept of fear and the heartbreak of loss. I, on the other hand, worried for days, anticipating the storm and what it might bring.

I have to say living in Florida from June to December 1st is very stressful. Every time the news mentions a new tropical storm, my stomach turns!

I worry about everything! I worry about my family, I worry about having to put the cat into a cage and running off with it into the night. I worry about my photos and my scrapbooks, all of which are material things but can honestly never be replaced.


I even worry about the power being out and our Mr. Crabs not having the filter in his aquarium work.

All these crazy things runs through my mind, all of them causing me endless nights with little sleep.

So finally, two days later, on August 20th, Hailey started her first day of 4th grade.

She was ecstatic about the teacher she got this year. She was so happy it was a "girl" as she says.

Last year her teacher was a "boy" and she wasn't all that thrilled about that.

And her teacher is "pretty" as she explains it to me!!!

I was so happy that she was so excited.

Her first day of school went well and best of all, her "girl" teacher doesn't give homework on Fridays. When Hailey told me about this, she danced around and screamed: "This is the best teacher EVER!!!"

It was so funny!

I wish I could go to camp.

As a child, I didn't even realize summer camp existed. My parent's always lived on a strict budget, at times barely able to make ends meet.

Summers for me meant summer school, not because I needed it or was a bad student, but just because it was free and we got to be there all day while my parents worked.

Hailey started summer camp on June 9th. We opted for the Girl Scout summer camp because they do a lot of different things and it's part of the Girl Scout's, which Hailey is involved in.

There are many locations to choose from. Camp Mahachee is always our first and only choice because you would never imagine the simple beauty of the place!!! Funny thing is I used to drive down this same road many years ago on my way home and never knew what was at the turn of that road.

There's an ORANGE mailbox at the turn into the camp. The camp is not really marked, for the protection of the girls.

The first time I went there, I turned at the mailbox off the main road and traveled almost 2 miles down an unpaved road. There are large trees on each side and the road was so skinny that only one car could pass at a time. Two cars are unable to pass side by side.

The area, surrounded by huge trees, is home to beautiful peacocks, squirrels, and skunks(not that I've seen them but I can smell them). I am sure there are other creatures in this beautiful forest.

I love to open my windows and hear the crunch of the car's tires against the rocks on the unpaved road. It is such a soothing feeling.

On a cloudy day, the place looks eerily peaceful.

When I dropped Hailey off at the camp this year for the first time, I really wished I were a kid again and I could go to camp with her.

Last Day of School!!!

Hailey's last day of school was June 5th. She'd been counting the days with excitement so I thought she'd be filled with joy on her last day.

The last day of school was pretty much a free day. The kids got to bring games and they had a party at lunch time. I came at lunch time and watched the kids run around like crazy little people, filled with excitement.

It was just about time for the day to end and I was chatting with another mom. I happened to turn around to see Hailey's face red, tears streaming down her face. She was hysterical. I immediately ran over to her and asked her why she was crying.

She proceeded to tell me she was going to miss her friends. It was the cutest thing because when she said that, all her girlfriends huddled around her and gave her a big hug.

I have to admit I was totally caught off guard. Hailey has always been a sensitive child, filled with such beautiful and caring emotions but the least thing I expected for her to be was sad to the point of being hysterical on the last day of school.

Depression always sets in for me at the end of each school year. It depresses me that my child is growing older so quickly and that she is moving on.

I always think about all the friendships she's shared throughout the year and how the kids will no longer spend each day together. And I always think about the teacher she's had and how he or she has influenced Hailey's life.

I still remember most of my teacher's and how they were such a great part of my life.

On the other hand, the end of the school year means that I don't have to go back and forth 3 times a day to get Hailey to take her ballet and jazz class. It also means no homework, so I can just get home from a long day's work and relax. Not worry about doing much of anything if that is what I wish to do!!!

I love summer. I love the sunshine and the beautiful days it brings. I love to feel free!!!

Happy Father's Day!!!

I find Father's Day a bit difficult since my dad is no longer with me. I always say a little prayer in his memory. I do miss him so!!!

Father's Day involved lunch and going to see The Hulk movie. Not my type of thing but since it was Sergio's day, that's what he opted for.

The movie was ok but you can't judge by me since I'm not really into that type of thing.

Hailey was so excited to give Sergio a rock she painted at school for him. It's blue and says "Dad ROCKS" on it. She also made him a trophy at camp with his picture in it that says "World's Best Dad"!! SO CUTE!!!

New Addition to the Family, Mr.Crabs

We've always had a fish tank. It's small but perfect for us. Many fish have come and gone as fish will. The fish tank has had one lonely fish in it for quite some time and he finally moved on.

Sergio decided to add new fish and ventured out on May 21st to get some. He brought home some gold fish, so pretty with their orange coloring and some other type of goldfish, kind of multi-colored as Hailey referred to them.

Hailey was quite excited to see the tank full of colorful fish. The very next day, tragedy struck. We awoke to find one of the goldfish dead in the tank. Hailey was quite upset.

In order to help her through the difficult time, we decided we'd replace that fish right away and we'd take her to pick out a new fish of her own. It turned into a family trip and Hailey picked out another goldfish.

I have always loved little crabs and snails, crustaceans as they are often referred to. I've always wanted one for our fish tank. Not putting much thought into it, I decided to pick out a fiddler crab to come home with us as well. I picked the biggest one I could find. I was quite proud of my choice.

I named him Mr. Crabs, after Mr. Crabs in Hailey's favorite cartoon, Spongebob Squarepants.

Mr. Crab seemed content in his new surroundings, or so we thought although we did find him at different times throughout the day, hanging on to the tube in the tank, towards the top of the tank. I really didn't think much of it.

That evening I was lying in bed and Hailey comes in screaming that Mr. Crabs has gotten loose. I'm thinking, loose out of what? What the heck does that mean? Low and behold, Mr. Crabs had gotten out of the tank and made his way into the living room. Ariel, our kitty, had already spotted him and was pawing at him. Sergio happened to look across the room at that moment and spotted the happenings. I couldn't believe it that little crab had climbed all the way to the top of the tank, up the tube and out a hole!!! We put him back into the tank but after all the excitement, I couldn't help but laugh at the crazy ordeal. How could something so small get out of the tank, jump 4 feet down(it's a long way down) and make it all the way across the room?


The following day Hailey proceeds to tell us that Mr. Crabs had been sticking out his big claw and swiping at one of the goldfish. She told us Mr. Crabs had almost ripped off the goldfish's fin. We did notice the goldfish's fin a little torn but Sergio and I thought nothing of it really and I just told Hailey that he was probably just moving his claw around, not that he was actually trying to get anything.

The day after that, we came home to find Mr. Claws with the goldfish stuck in his claw, pretty much eating it. Hailey was pretty traumatized and I felt horrible. How could Mr. Claws eat our fish.

Upon searching on the internet, I did find information saying that Mr. Claws, who is a fiddler crab, will eat slow moving fish. YIKES!!! Not to mention that they climb up the tubes because they need to be on the surface as well, not just in water. Now what? I couldn't' just toss Mr. Crabs out but if we didn't get him out of the tank, he'd eat our fish.

So opted for purchasing a small tank to keep Mr. Crabs in. We even bought him a cute rock and put it up towards the top of the tank so he could sit on the rock and not be totally submerged in water, whenever the need struck him.


I have to admit the tank is so cute with him in and he appears to be happy although has no fish to claw at!!!

My Ballerina

Hailey's dance recital took place on May 22nd. It turned out beautifully. Hailey had two performances. One was for ballet, the other was for jazz. The theme for her ballet dance was Mary Poppin's. Her ballet outfit was darling. It featured a long tulle dress, burgundy in color. It was absolutely beautiful. Her jazz performance was the Pink Panther and it featured flare pants with a top that was off the shoulder on one side. She had been practicing for months, dancing and spinning in front of the tv. She has always loved pretty dresses and dancing and she was extremely excited about this year's performances. We were so proud of her, she was gorgeous.

May you always dance my little ballerina!!!

My Mom

My mom called me on May 15th, around 2 PM, right in the middle of an extremely busy workday. First thing out of her mouth was, "I fell and totally messed myself up". She laughed at the end of that sentence.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She's telling me she fell and then she's laughing as if there is no importance to such an event. Caught totally off guard, I quickly asked her how it happened and if she was ok, did she need me to go get her, take her to the hospital, etc.

She proceeded to tell me she had ice on her knee and hand. She was fine she said!! She did sound ok but my mom is a trooper, she won't admit anything is wrong unless it's extreme.

After we hung up, I was pretty much a basket case, wondering if she was ok, if she had told me the entire severity of her injuries and also wondered what unknown injuries could be lurking after such a fall. I am a worry wart by nature so my mind was racing in a million directions.

Mind you, my mom lives alone and I am constantly telling her to be very careful when walking, if she needs a light bulb changed, to wait for me or my brother to come over and do it, etc. But my mom is a stubborn one and likes to think she can do everything herself.

Anyways, she told me that she had put up a new curtain in the kitchen. Mind you, she had to get up on a stool to do this. I had told her a week before that I would help her with that next time I came by. I told her I didn't want her getting up on any stool. Automatically, when she tells me about the stool I'm thinking she fell off it. But no, that is not what happened at all. She put the curtain up just fine and moved the stool over to the side of the kitchen instead of just putting it away. She went to the sink to get a plant she was going to move from the kitchen window and as she was walking out of the kitchen, she tripped over the stool she'd left to the side. Totally forgot it was even there. She was still holding the plant when she fell. The pot cracked in her hands from the fall. I believe the pot is what broke her index finger. The blunt of the fall appears to have been taken by her right knee.

I called my mom back about an hour after we spoke and she said she was still sitting, with ice on her knee and hand. She then told me that my brother was supposed to come by later that evening to have dinner with her. She was going to cook something for him. She asked me to call my brother and tell him she wouldn't be able to cook. As soon as I heard that, panic set in. My mom would do anything for us, even if she's not feeling well and for her to say she's not going to cook after she had invited my brother over, scared me to death!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I told her I'd tell my brother and hung up!!!

I automatically called my brother and informed him of the situation. He told me he'd stop by to check on her after he got off work. He called me when he got to my mom's house and told me her knee was extremely swollen, like the size of a softball and that one of the fingers on her hand was black. The finger was was extremely swollen. He told me my mom still insisted she didn't need medical attention.

I asked him to take her over to an URGENT CARE FACILITY that is close to her house. These are new in our area. They are run by the major hospitals but cater to smaller, non emergency situations. He told me he'd take her there and would call me once the doctor checked her out.

I got a call about an hour later and my brother proceeded to tell me that x-rays revealed that my mom had a broken index finger and that her knee was extremely banged up but thankfully no other fractures. He also told me that her blood pressure was extremely high and that the doctor wasn't willing to send her home with such high blood pressure. They gave her some blood pressure medication and advised that we'd have to wait and see if her blood pressure would go down before she could be released. The doctor indicated that her blood pressure was probably high due to the fall and the entire experience.

An hour and a half later, her blood pressure was still extremely high and the doctor still didn't want to release her with such high blood pressure. He suggested we take her to the emergency room where they could better monitor the blood pressure, etc. He advised that an ambulance could transport her from the urgent facility to the emergency room.

So off she went to the hospital. I met them there. She arrived in the emergency room about 10 PM. I spent the entire night with her while they monitored her blood pressure and finally got it low enough to where they could release her. I took her home at 7 AM the next morning and spent all day with her that day plus the entire weekend. I actually spent 5 entire days at her house, taking care of her. I was terrified that her knee would give out while she tried to walk to the bathroom, through the house, etc. I just couldn't leave her home alone.

I finally left her alone after 5 days and although her knee was still bothering her severely, her spirits were up and she was thankful that she hadn't broken anything else but her index finger.

I bought her a blood pressure monitoring machine and her blood pressure still seemed to be abnormally high even a week after her fall. I finally got her to go to the doctor to have that checked out and they changed her regular blood pressure medication.

I have to admit, sleep has been the best for me since her fall, constantly worrying about her.

My Blog!

I was so excited to start this blog. It would be easy to maintain, I told myself. I could even document something at lunch time each day. Who was I kidding, I practically always work through my lunch hour. I'm such a workaholic. And even though I know I should take a moment, I just don't do it. But I must!!!!!!!

This blog was going to be a great way to document happenings in my life, like a diary and keep my friends and family up-to-date. As you can see, I have completely slacked on my blog entries, they have been missing in action since April.

My good friend Carmen keeps her blog updated daily. She is my inspiration. She tells me that even if it's a small entry, she takes a moment each day to document something. I will try to live up to her legacy and use her as an example and will try to document something each day.

Escape of Mr. Crabs

Friday, the 13th, June 13th to be exact. I should have known it was going to be a bad morning!!!

This morning as a I stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom, I instantly noticed that our devoted feline Ariel didn't automatically appear at my feet when the I turned on the faucet. It's our daily ritual, I turn on the faucet to brush my teeth, she jumps up on the toilet top. As I brushed my teeth, I contemplated on how strange and out of character that was for her so as soon as I finished with my teeth, I went out to the living room looking for her.

There she was, playing with one of Hailey's hair clips(yes, she has cat toys but prefers human items). Just like a little kid, give them toys, they don't play with them, give them a box, they spent hours playing with that and it's so inexpensive. Strange world!!! I am still half asleep and haven't even put my contacts on, I'm wearing my glasses. I am still not seeing clearly at this early hour of the morning. As I watch Ariel play with the clip, I notice what I think is a clip is actually moving. Automatically I think, oh, she's found a bug of some sort. The more I look at it, the bigger it seems to me and suddenly it dawns on me, could that really be Mr. Crabs she's playing with. I run to the aquarium and sure enough, no Mr. Crabs in there. I bend down to take a closer look and sure enough, it's Mr. Crabs Ariel is pawing at.

I brush her away and run into Hailey's room. Sergio has already left for work. It's just me and my little girl. I say, "Hailey, hurry, get up, you have to help me. Mr. Crabs has gotten out of the tank and Ariel is playing with him."

I am amazed at her speed to jolt of the bed and run after me. She automatically grabs the net we have for the fish and tells me to get a cup. She's screaming at me hysterically, yet still in command. I hand her a cut and she scoops Mr. Crabs into it with the net. We toss him back into the tank. He appears to be alright.

After all the hysteria, Hailey proceeds to ask me what was I thinking, thinking we could just pick up Mr. Crabs with the net. She explained that if we picked him up with only the net, he would claw right out of it as we walked him over to the tank. That is the reasoning behind her asking me to get a cup.

I have to laugh because here she is lecturing me as if she the grown up. I have to admit her taking command instantly in such a situation shocked me. She is but a mere 9 years old and yet so grown up in so many ways.

The top on Mr. Crabs tank is a lightweight plastic. He apparently climbed up on his rock and somehow pushed the top a bit off the tank. Then I can imagine him hanging his claw off the ledge of the tank and sliding all the way down the counter, towards the front door where Ariel apparently found him.

We have taped the top of the tank. If he gets out again, we'll have to call him HULK!!!

Making A Difference

I read this today in a magazine. It really made me think. I thought I'd share.

A little boy carefully walked along a crowded beach, where starfish by the hundreds lay there within his reach. They washed up with each wave, far as the eye could see, and each would surely die if they were not set free. So one by one he rescued them, then heard a stranger call, "It won't make a difference, you can't save them all."

But as he tossed another back toward the oceans setting sun, he said with deep compassion, "I made a difference to that one!"


How true is this? Doing something helpful or nice for someone surely makes a difference to that person!!!

Happy Birthday Hailey!!!

I can't believe my little girl is 9 years old today. Seems like just yesterday she was born. She has grown so much.

Field Day - March 27, 2008

Every year, Hailey's school has what they call Field Day. It's basically a day where everything is based around sports. The same grade classes compete for ribbons by doing different activities such as 50 year dash, basketball, tug-o-war, etc.

It's a lot of fun to watch the kids compete.

It's funny how versatile Hailey is. One minute she's wearing a tu-tu and dancing around like a ballerina, the next minute she's wearing shorts, a tank top and sneakers, shooting hoops. I have to admit I am glad she ventures into different things.


I recently noticed how fast she can run. I didn't really think anything of it, just thought to myself, "Hmm, she is running pretty fast". I didn't remember her ever having that type of speed. I think maybe her speed has all of a sudden creeped up on her since her legs are really stretching out in length.

When she told me she was going to be in the lap race, I thought, oh wow, she may win that thing depending on how much stamina she can keep up with.

The lap race is running in a huge lap, 5 girls compete.

When the race started, she was way ahead of all the other girls. I could see her long legs pushing!! By the middle of the race, I could see she was getting quite tired but her legs kept moving. When she was at just about the finish line, I was screaming my head off, pushing her on, telling her she could make it!!!

Just as the other girls zeroed in on her, her legs crossed the finish line.

SHE WON!!! I was ecstatic!! It was so emotional.

Once she realized she'd won, she burst out in tears.

I am so proud of my little runner!!!

I am 40!!!!!!!! Happy Birthday To Me!!!

So I turned 40 on Saturday, March 29th. It was a super weekend.

I went to a scrapbook show in Orlando on Saturday. Since scrapbooking is my passion, I was in heaven. I am totally obsessed with the hobby although time is hard to come by.

On Sunday we ventured to a new water park at Sea World called Aquatica. My oh my, what a great place that is. Truly unbelievable.

I have to admit that I am a kid at heart when it comes to water parks. Funny thing is that as a child I never went to a water park. My parents always took us to the beach. That explains my love for the sunshine and warm sandy beaches!!!

I didn't experience the whole water park deal until I was about 20. The first water park I ever went to was Disney's Typhoon Lagoon. I was in total awe when I walked into that park. I still remember the excitement!!! It just looked so fun with all the pools and slides and the whole theme of the place!!

The 2nd water park I went to was Disney's Blizzard Beach. A snow themed park in the hot sunshine. Wow, it was so cool!!!

Really, who can do fun better than Disney?

So alas, since that time, I have been hooked on water parks.

Lucky for me Hailey has picked up on my love for water. She loves the pools and beaches.

I knew she'd love Aquatica. Boy, did she.

We had so much fun on the all those crazy slides. Back jerking, flying and speeding through water. The higher the better although for me it wasn't as easy as for her. Of course, her body moves so much easier. Oh, to be a kid again.

It was extremely difficult to get her out of the wave pool. She sure loves that, bobbing up and down in the waves, wanting to go deeper and deeper. My little fish!!!


One of the slides is particularly cool. The slide is called the Dolphin Plunge, a 300-foot-long waterslide, which features a clear tube that plunges riders down a 42-foot drop and through a crystal-clear lagoon full of black-and-white Commerson’s Dolphins (variously described as “baby Shamus”). You can see the dolphins as you slide through the clear slide. It is really a neat experience.

Let It Snow!!!

Having been born and raised in Florida, snow is not something easy to come by. Sergio used to live in Tennessee so for him snow is second nature.

Fast approaching my 40th birthday(upcoming on March 29th), I felt it was time for myself and Hailey to experience some SNOW. Me, the person that is freezing and wearing flannel pajamas at 65 degrees. What was I thinking, I have to admit I'd gone insane!!!

\align="justify">Sergio's best friend lives in Indiana with his wife and two kids. They invited us to visit so that I could experience snow for the first time. Chicago is only about a half hour away from where they live. So mind you, it gets quite cold in Indiana, in the negatives at times and so windy you can barely walk.

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Wow, what a shock the cold weather was to me. I felt like I was inside a freezer every time we stepped out the door. But I have to admit, it was beautiful. It had snowed a few days before we arrived so there was snow everywhere. Luckily it wasn't snowing when we arrived as I was terrified of landing during some type of snow storm or driving through a storm of some sort. On the day we were leaving, it actually snowed and we were able to see it fall from the sky. It is something I will never forget.

align="justify">Hailey of course had the best time. She was not afraid of sledding down a huge hill. Oh to be a child and have no fear.

It was truly a weekend to cherish!!!

Camping in the Keys - Camp Wesumkee

Hailey has been a Girl Scout since she was 5. The step to put her into such an activity was not an easy one for me. It is quite a commitment since the girls must attend meetings and attend many activities.

I have to admit I am not by any means a camping kind of gal. Up until the time Hailey joined Girl Scouts, I'd never even been in a tent. The thought of no air conditioning and no bathroom really didn't appeal to me. I'd heard others rave about enjoying nature, I seriously had my doubts that that was my kind of thing. But I'd heard about Girl Scouts and I wanted to give Hailey the opportunity to meet and interact with other girls her age plus give her the foundation to grow into a strong and determined woman.

I have to admit it has been the best decision I ever made for my child. Hailey used to be a shy little girl. I could see in her the shy little girl I always was, being a follower instead of a leader. Often letting others influence me instead of doing what I thought was best for myself. I certainly didn't want my child to be as I had been.

Once she grew to know her Girl Scout friends, I noticed a great change in her. She is no longer a follower, she is a leader. I can see her determination. I now see a little girl that is able to fend for herself, shows concern and caring for others and does what she feels is best instead of what others TELL her is best.

We've only been to a few camping trips in the past 3 years. Mostly the girls just participate in lots of events together. They help out in the community and just have plain old fun together.

Last weekend we had our first camping trip of the year. We went up to Camp Wasumkee in the Keys. It was by far the best trip we've ever had. The camp is out on the beach. We slept in Chiki huts which actually had built in fans. Since the camp is by the water, the breeze at night was quite nice.

The girls made their own kites and flew them. I had my doubts that they'd actually fly but they did, oh so high!!! They made Easter buckets, since it was Easter weekend. We had a huge egg hunt. Hailey found the silver egg and won a prize. We had a campfire and of course had smores. The girls had a water balloon fight and played with the water hose. They walked on the shore and collected sea shells. They even went fishing. I was astonished at Hailey actually baiting a hook. At first she said, "Eww" but as the fish bit her bait, she became really excited and took the initiative to bait the hook. Even I have to admit it really was all a lot of fun!!!! So hooray to nature and the great outdoors!!! Here are some photos!!!

I Believe My Car Is My Home

I feel like we live in our car. Our commute to work and school in the morning is about 45 minutes to an hour. On Mondays and Wednesdays, just as I sit down to get into the most difficult part of my day, I have to run out the door to pick up Hailey. She changes in the car and 30 minutes later she's off to her ballet class and I hurry back to work. An hour later I'm back at school, picking her up to take her home. The commute home takes at least an hour, sometimes even an hour and a half. I don't quite understand why the ride home is actually longer that the ride in the AM. More people out later in the day I suppose. So frustrating.

But on Wednesdays, schools dismisses an entire hour earlier than on other days so I go back to her school 3 times in less than 2 hours. I pick her up at 2, take her back to work with me until 3:30. There she gets some homework done. Drive back to school at 3:30 for her class and drive back to work. An hour later, at 4:30 I drive back to her school to pick her up and off we go to nowhere land, just sit in traffic for an hour and a half.


Tuesdays and Thursdays, it's pretty much the same thing. Back and forth, back and forth, all day long. She has Jazz class on those days.


And Friday evenings, after work, it's off to our Girl Scout meeting.

So much driving can wear a person out. My head is often spinning. It's worse than actually being at work. Extremely stressful.

I do suppose it doesn't help much that work and school are so far from our actual home. Everything we do is around the school/work area. All her friends live close to the school so play dates are set up in that area as well.

I've even gone to the extreme and calculated that I spend about 750 hours a year sitting in traffic. That totals 31 and a half days a year, an entire month sitting in a car. I always hear on the news those statistics that start off with: "One out of eight Americans.....". Well, I have just realized I am a statistic. I spend an entire month a year in traffic. Pretty intense if you ask me.