December was a whirl-wind

Wow...December did not disappoint...it was busy like always. Delta hosts a Military Holiday Lounge during this time of year for about 6 weeks. I really like being able to thank our MIL folks for their service...so I do lots of baking and put in a good bit of time volunteering...so that's a busy time for me. Then there is the decorating at Mom's and all the family baking, buying and wrapping. There's never a moment to spare.

I also had a surprise visitor...Glen from www.tosimplify.net, I'd tracked his adventures for some time and we'd done some email. He was on his way back south, the north was getting a bit chilly. We had a nice dinner and Mom, Shea and I got a sax concert...too cool. Thanks Glen, we really enjoyed the evening.

Christmas Day was busy as always...the whole family was at Mom's...15 of us plus 1yr old Quinton. It was a fun time. The next day we started shopping for events in 2012...the sales are great. On the 27th I came down to Sarasota....oh yeah, New Year's in the warmth...can't beat it.

There are some fun things planned for 2012, but since they are surprises I can't really talk about them...but stay tuned.

I wish you all a Happy New Year.....may 2012 be awesome....I for one, am ready to bid 2011 farewell!!!

Holidays...and a new Family addition!!!

Welcome to the family my little great-nephew Quinton McKinnon Carter born 11/11/11....he has my Dad's middle name...I think that's cool. I didn't take new born pics, but I love this one....he's about 6mths old.

Since vacation things have been very busy....have had several family birthdays and the holidays have started. Thanksgiving was as always....lots of folks at Mom's...the weather was nice so we could spread out. I had a little heart procedure done to fix a slight electrical issue I've had, so I was rather out of it for this holiday, but I'll be good for Christmas. I also got a cold, and just now shaking that...so will be glad to get back to normal. Thanks Denny for helping me last week, sorry I gave you my cold.
Work is fine....it slows a bit during holiday time. Next week Delta opens their holiday Military Lounge and I'll be volunteering and donating baked goods and such to that...is always nice to give back and help this time of year.
Thanks to my travels this year, I have almost all my Christmas shopping done, so I'm a bit freed up for other things. Good thing I didn't need to shop any after Thanksgiving sales, I was just not up to it. but I missed having the fun.
Very soon I will start helping Mom with her wrapping and more decorating.....let Christmas begin!!!

Clearing Customs....what a hoot!!!

This is about 30 days late...sorry.
Our flight home went very well....I slept most of the way this time so it went faster. The flight attnd gave us all Customs Forms and that's when my debate began. I was worried about my wild boar salami. I decided it best to be honest...I was affiliated to Delta and if caught, might not look too good. We landed and I was off the plane in a hurry....was anxious to get it over with. Cleared the first re-entry point just fine, but then had to claim luggage and clear again. Since I had put on there that I had the wild boar...I was sent to the "special" line. They were very nice but they took it. Said that there were viruses in Europe we didn't have in the USA and these can be transmitted through meat products....so, bye bye cool salami....sorry family I tried.
Now...off to recheck bags so they can meet me upstairs....and clear security one more time...how weird. OK..bag checked and off to security line....had never had to do this before...it was just like the security at the front of the airport...no liquids...3oz or less on other stuff...etc. Oops..got a problem....in the Paris airport I was determined to spen all my Euro's....so I bought some pastry things, no problem, but I bought a jar of jam....was bigger than 3oz and I was going to loose it. So, back I go to a DL counter...I had to "check" or rather send my carry on bag up stairs to baggage claim, with my jam in there or I'd have to give it up. NO way....I'd lost my wild boar, so I put it in my bag and "checked" it....this was beyond stupid and they even admitted it....and said they were changing this in 2012, but for now, these were the rules. By now I was sweaty and tired and sooooo ready to be out of customs and that airport.
Finally I clear security and head for baggage claim, get my bags, get on the bus that goes to the GO, get in my car and head home. Was really good to get to Mom's. She was there and was cooking my request....veggies....love you Mom.
I bent her ear for hours telling her about our trip and showing her my treasures. It was a wonderful trip....I'd love to go back to Italy. I'm glad I've seen Paris and all the things you are supposed to see....but, may not rush back.
Susan, you were a great traveling buddy....we are thinking of Ireland next.

Unril then ....back to work....need to make more, so we can spend more!!!

Yuck.....I'm back at the office.....good-bye vacation...hello Reality

Our last dinner in Paris was at a close cafe'. Susan wasn't hungary as she'd had a bigger lunch...I'd enjoyed my soup, but needed a bit more. So, it was finally time for a hamburger with a fried egg on top. I'd forgotten that's SOP for European burgers and Susan was very skeptical. So, I ordered a burger and FF. It's really very good....perhaps not something I will start cooking or ordering in the states, but .....when in Paris!! Good thing it was a short walk home, it was starting to rain. Susan showered and jumped in bed...it was goign to be an early morning.

Yes, all good things must come to an end. The alarm went off at 445a on Tues morning....I hit the shower and sleeping beauty moaned....Susan is not a morning gal!! But she was dressed by the time I came out of the shower. We had a 530a airport shuttle pickup. We finally made the decision that metro or bus was just more than we wanted to hassle with and we kept getting conflicting info...so when we were offered a direct airport shuttle for 18euro each, we jumped on it. This turned out to be a perfect plan, especially since we woke up to rain. This shuttle was small and had picked up 4 others before us. After us we headed to Orly for them. That turned out to be 15min....we had to laugh since when we arrived at Orly we took shuttle/bus/metro and lots of walking and managed to turn a direct drive of 15 min into a 3hr adventure...wow, lesson learned there. After leaving Orly it was about 45min to CDG. We were there in plenty of time. Susan had spent enough in one store to get a VAT tax refund form. So we got that handled. The scoop on the very expensive VAT is that if you spend over 180 euro in one store, AND you ask for the tax refund form you can get that stamped at the airport and get is refunded. However, if you spend more than that but in man y different stores....tough, you can't get any back. Well, that was my case.....so I just eat that!!!
We then got checked in at Delta....we were both a little over 23kg but were told we were ok, and that we would definately get on. Wow...we never hear that....very cool. Yahoo, no more baggage issues and we knew we had a seat, just didn't know which one. Mattered not, we were ready to head home. Then we were off to get a bite of something and head to the gate to wait. Duty free shops were open, nothing was too appealing...so off for coffee and pastry. However, I spotted a Laudree' store, yummy macaroons and other goodies. So spent my last 25 euro on goodies...some I ate, some actually made it all the way back. Susan enjoyed her last pastry and cappuccino...then, we were off to the gate to wait. Boarding started very soon and went just fine.
We were on and ready to go..............

Good bye Paris...........soon we would be back in the land of knowing where to flush a toilet, understanding directions, being able to read a menu............but for me, having to go back to work....yuck....

10hrs later we landed in ATL.........not too bad a flt, I slept 4hrs...woohoo. Susan didn't sleep as well. We got seperated in customs....but probably a good thing since I had to go through the "special" line because I was honest about having "meat products"....I had bought some wild boar salami that was vaccumed sealed...but that didn't matter...they took it. So, I'm guessing some customs official enjoyed my special treat last night!!! Bummer, that was supposed to be part of my Italian night of cooking....oh well....I've got soem other goodies. Susan breezed through and was re-checked for her Indy flt.....I got stopped again because of a jar of Plum jam but I worked that one out. I told Susan to go ahead I ahd no idea how long I was going to be in customs.....I was getting to know them all!!! I finally got cleared and headed out.
As I drove home, it was interesting to actually be able to read the road signs.....it was 74 in ATL and was good to be home. Mom was waiting on me and had fulfilled my request om veggies for dinner. I talked her ears off for about 3hrs then we had squash/green beans/cremaed corn and BBQ chicken.........wow that was good....thanks Mom.

I'm hoping to cook my Italian dinner next week...need to hurry before I forget all that I learned.

Well....life will get routine again, so blogs my get few and far between.....thanks for following, it was a wonderful 50th celebration!!!

The Party is over......

Our last day on vacation and in Paris. We started a little earlier today and the shower was actually warm...woohoo!! We went up the street just a little bit and stopped at a cafe' for croissant, hot chocolate, fresh OJ and a cappucinno. Then we were off to the metro, underground subway, to a shopping area. We decided we were at sight-seeing overload.....so we wanted to shop and move slow. The metro ride was easy and soon we were at a HUGE store Galleries Lafayette. It had many levels and many high-end things. Gucci/Fendi/Channel/Prada/Omega...etc. You get the idea. This is the 2nd most visited attraction after the Louvre. The world's leading dept store with 100k visitors per day!!! Yep it was crowded. You would not believe the stained glass dome and the decor. It was an open floor plan type building....you could see floor to floor if you stood in the middle.

One entire floor was nothing but shoes....Brooke, you would be in heaven and very confused. I tried to take a picture, but I was stopped....sorry. We finally experienced macaroons. We had been told, we HAD to try them and that they were nothing like the ones in the USA...they were correct....they were heaven and in flavors. We made some purchases, but not enough to likely help their economy too much. We walked the streets a little and came across one street covered in newspaper...there had been a protest earlier. The protest was about the press hacking into personal cell phones and emails to get news. It was a mess...they had closed the street.

We decided it was time to eat...so we picked a sidewalk cafe'. I had french onion soup and creme' brulee'....Susan had a roasted chicken and FF and dark chocolate crepes....all very good.

Back in the street and a little more shopping, then headed back on the metro.

We are staying in The Latin Quarter...District 5. When we got back we walked a little and discovered many things closed today....we had been told that places were closed on Sunday's and Monday's....and seems like our area of town was that way. So, we picked good to go to another area yesterday and today and we walked our area on Sat nite when we got here. We have had some really good "dumb" luck.....and God has certainly guided us, perhaps He felt sorry for us goofballs!!

We are both getting tired.....we have no clean clothes and are ready to sleep in beds that are a little softer than plywood. Both of our suitcases are messed up, so they will get replaced, but they will get us home.

Our flight back looks good, but we will need an early start, will have to be on the metro by 0500. We will take the metro part way and a bus or taxi the rest of the way. No more worries about the weight of our bags. We will both be glad to see that Delta check-in counter something familiar, and hopefully english speaking. We have done ok in Paris, but have had a few communication problems. Was a bigger challenge than Italy because we had to start thinking for ourselves.

We are pre-packing now and may go out for a short walk and a small dinner, then an early nite, because it will be an early morning!!!

We have both truly enjoyed our trip.....and are already thinking about Ireland...hummm!

We hope you all have enjoyed following us.....it was not always easy staying awake to blog about our day, but we know in a few months when we want to look back, we will be glad we did, and we were glad to hopefully entertain our friends and family. We have both traveled a good bit, but we agree this trip was like no other.....it had been terrific.

Au revoir Paris............

We traded heat in our room for hot water!!!

The heat in our apartment in Soriano never really worked right...but the hot water in the shower was amazing and there was plenty of it. Well, in Paris our room is toasty but if u sleep late like we did, your penalty is a lukewarm, rather cool shower....wonderful!! We are already scheming on ways around that....maybe shower at nite...or maybe up earlier...we'll see.

We already miss having someone else think for us and guide us like we had in Italy...but we'll figure it out. As we walked the streets near the hotel last night we saw lots of open fruit and vegetable markets, SEVERAL beauty shops with folks getting hair done, many flower shops, pastry shops and one chocolatier....no, I didn't buy anything....but I will today. While eating dinner we watched a woman rolling her own cigarettes, she had this great gizmo that rolled the tobacco into a small roll, she had bought "empty" cigarettes and once rolled she "stuffed" them....ok, guess she had a particular taste in tobacco, or maybe that's cheaper....who knows, but it did entertain us. We actually managed to have a one course meal and no dessert. Susan said Paris will be our step-down program back to reality. We will not be perfect here, but we will do better than last week.

I just heard Susan holler from the shower...."is this all the warm you get??"...yep, it's chilly. Once out of the shower, she was hunting her pastry and cappucino.....ok, I can see her "step-down" program is going to take some work!!!

It looks like a gorgeous day. We have a small but adorable balcony. We walked out on it yesterday, but it is now blocked with a suitcase...there is NO OTHER room....so we will check the temps once we go out. At least it is not raining!!! We've only had one rainy day so far, not bad. That day actually added to the mystique of the crumbling city we visited that day.

So we're off....look out Paris...here we come!!!

Wow did we cover some ground today....left around 11a, got on a bus and headed for the Seine. We got off and right in front of us was Notre' Dame....and it was Sunday...bonus. We got in the long line to go in and services were going on...very cool. They had a rope around the outside of the seating and we were allowed to walk all the way around and see the service....and hear the organ, very cool. We saw communion, and someone waiting to take your confessions, no, we didn't stop and confess anything, perhaps we should have. After that tour, we left and decided to make a potty stop and get a fresh Nutella crepe. This turned out to be yet another potty lesson for me.....seems the lites in the stalls that are totally enclosed have motion sensored lights.....well, I was sitting and before I knew it, it was pitch black dark....so, if you can get a visual....I'm sitting and flapping my arms around to get the light back on...just as I was about to get out my phone for light it came back on.....wow...what will we learn next. And this time to flush it was a pedal on the floor, always an adventure when you have to go. OK...so we walked the bank of the Seine, watched people and boat tours and just loved being here, it was a gorgeous day. We walked to the Louvre and sat on a bench in amazement. The line to get in was very long....we took a few pictures outside, but we had already decided that we would need to come back to do museums. We needed to hit the highlights in our short visit. So...on we went....passing Museum d' Orsay, The Royal Bridge, Assemblee' Nationale and all the way to the Eiffel Tower.....it's unreal. And, the number of people there was also unreal. The lines to get tickets to go up were all 4 VERY long. Susan didn't want to go up anyway and I didn't want to wait in a line. So after sitting on a bench a while and taking photos...we walked on. We headed for Champs E'lysees'.....this is 4 lane, that is very busy and loud but has THE TOP stores on both sides....this is like Rodeo Drive or in Atlanta...maybe Buckhead or better. Let's just say...when Louis Vuitton has a 3 level one block store with a line outside to get in, you have hit "the shopping" district. We had to laugh when not far down the sidewalk was a Haggan Das Ice Cream that was 3 levels with a line also...too funny.

By this time our one crepe had run out and we were hungry....the menus in this area were very spendy as u can imagine, we finally found a place and were happy to sit for a while. We had chicken and pasta in a mushroom cream sauce. We didn't know the side was pasta, we are both a bit caught up on that but oh well, I had a coke and Susan had a glass of wine...both beverages cost the same. We each spent about $30 on dinner.....but we had to consider where we were.

By now, it was getting to be dusk and we needed to go see the Eiffel tower lit up. So we started walking...again. We passed Hediard shop...it is famous for it's sweets since 1854...you know we couldn't pass that up. We went in and got some chocolate mousse to go.

Not far down the street and we could see the Eiffel tower lit up....wow. It's something you just have to see. It was a lovely night and this was cool.

Now we had to find our way back to the hotel....we ask some folks, got on a bus and headed back. We got mis-guided a few times, but we made it.

Home before 10p....not bad.

We have decided that tomorrow will not be a long walking day....maybe a bus tour, or boat ride, but something easier....we walked PLENTY today.

We have one day left on vacation......then back to reality......

Good night from The city of Lights........

We made it to Paris!!!

We made it to the city of lights.....fashion....and I hope chocolate!!!

It was an early start, the alarm went off at 5am.....OMG!!! Hit the shower and we were down the hill by 0600. I had hit full mode and I opted for 2 waters this morning and no pastry. Each morning we had a "breakfast coupon", good for one pastry and a drink. But this morning my body was saying I'd hit overload, so extra water was good. On the bus by 615a and heading for Orte train station. 4 got off there, we said our good-byes and headed for the airport where the rest of us needed to go. Once at the airport we all said good-bye quickly and then scattered. Some to rent cars for a few days in Rome, the rest of us to different airlines to go somewhere. We found Vueling Airline and got in line. Never heard of these guys before, but Michael told us he'd flown them so we went with it. Our flt was not until 1225p and it was only about 9a...we could not check in until 1015a...so in looking for a place to sit we accidentally found scales to weigh our bags. We shuffled some things back and forth so we were each very close to 23kg....the allowed amount or you pay 10euro for each kg over. Some other folks came up to weigh and they told us our carry-on luggage could only be 10kg.....oh dear....we were pushing it, but thought we'd be ok.

We waited and chatted with folks and could finally get in line to check in.....combined our checked bags were 45.5kg.....woohoo and my carry-on was 9.7kg...wow were we close. Susan's carry on was 9kg....if we'd bought one more thing something would have had to go......thank goodness our last leg is Delta and we'll be good to go.

We waded our way through the security line and were finally out by the gates. We headed to D6 as our boarding pass said. Very soon there was a line of folks to board.....but the gate sign said it was for Coppenhagen....uh-oh what did we miss. I went up and asked the agent, she said ours was the next flt just to wait....so I sat back down. However, an American couple we had met were packing up to move to another gate. We asked if our gate had changed and sure enough...we needed to be at D2....wow, nobody told us and the gate agent had just told me to wait. Hummm....lesson learned here. We moved gates, were soon boarded and we both slept the entire flt.....which was good, we didn't want to not see anything today.

Got landed, got our luggage and off to the information counter. We were determined to get to the hotel without a taxi....however, we really had no idea what we were in for.

The information gal told us to exit at door D and get a shuttle to the Ibis Hotel, then get bus 285 to the metro (underground trains), pink line 7...get off at stop 7 and when you come up from that the hotel will be very close. Wow....lots of instructions and we had 2 bags each. Our first shot out of the airport door we were confused, went back in for clarification and we were off again, this time we did better. Got the airport shuttle to the Ibis...check. When we got off we sat and waited for bus 285....it seemed like too long, so we finally asked a cop that was there settling a dispute between a guy and a taxi driver. He told us we had to cross the road....ok, did that and 285 came right away. On the bus and headed to the metro. It was a bit of a ride but got there. EXCEPT we now had to maneuver steps with luggage....i just went bagging down the steps and a very nice gentleman took Susan's big bag.....geez, what did I do wrong. Susan said it's her gray hair, makes her look like a helpless old lady!! OK...got the metro ticket bought and headed for the turn-stile. Susan was ahead of me and got her luggage stuck....a kind gentleman showed me how to go thru a "gate" if you had something larger. So I got thru and went back to help her. Ok....unstuck and ready to go. Got on the metro and almost done. We were seated close to a door and knew our stop was next....except, when our stop came that door didn't open....so we had to hurry to the next door. I got out and turned to help Susan as her bag got a bit stuck again. She was almost out when the doors began to shut. Between me and a guy on the metro we pulled the doors back open and Susan and luggage got off....whew...that could have been interesting. OK.....had to go up some more steps dragging luggage and then asked about which way to go once topside. We got the directions and headed up more steps, only once again a nice guy helped Susan and me too this time. Thank you God for sending us some help. Once at street level we only had to go about 2 blocks and there was our hotel.....we had made it.

We had spent less than 5euro each, fairly cheap but we had taken almost 3hrs to make the trip. As Daddy used to say, you save time or money but rarely both.....he's oh so right! We got checked in and since the "lift" (elevator) is so small only one at a time with luggage...that was ok, at least there was a lift, we are on the 5th floor. We figured out how to get around in our VERY TINY room and we headed out. We had intentions of seeing the Seine but we gave out....found a place to have beef and fish for dinner and we called it a night. We were actually in our room by 830p.....in Italy, dinner MIGHT be started by now!!! We have realized as much as we loved Soriano we missed variety.....we can choose from more than Italian food.....and we are looking forward to that. We both had to laugh when we saw a Starbucks tonite...yep, we are out of small town Italy and back to big city, both have their good and bad.

Still a bit tired, we are calling it a early night. We are safe in our tiny spot and will see all we can tomorrow.

Good night from Paris!!!

Dang......I've got a muffin top in my skinny jeans....

This was about the first thing I heard Susan say this morning......as I laughed and said, I've got one without skinny jeans....wow, we are actually getting tired of eating...if that's possible.

First thing this morning Susan and I both headed to the bank to exchange some more $$ to euro. First off....u have to push a button for a door to open, allowing one person in at a time, closing that door, then the door inside opens. ok...got that figured out. However, they didn't like the size of the bag I had, so I had to leave it outside in a provided locker with a key lock.....ok, got that. We felt so good, and after all that....we could not exchange money because we didn't have an account....geez.

OK...we don't give up that easy. Carla, one of the staff owns and runs the paper/magazine shop in the piazza (town square)...so we just went to her, she took our money tot he bank and got it exchanged....whew....that was a hassle, but we got it.

Every Friday there is a flea market in piazza in Soriano.....we walked it quickly but didn't find much and we needed to get on the bus....thank goodness it was a pretty day, but cool

Today we went to Orvieto to see yet a another cathedral and another lovely strolling town. Again our bus could not drive into the town so we can now add cable cars to our many modes of transportation for this trip. We parked and took the cable car to the top. There were small cars but certainly no buses....it was lovely. We went into the Cathedral, it was lovely with lots of symbolism and then we were turned loose to shop for 1.5 hrs before lunch.

We all got some shopping done here...yahoo. Since it was such an easy town we all rather went on our own. I got some hot chocolate...it is so thick here the spoon stands up in it.

Mom...it's good...but don't hold a candle to THE hot chocolate!!!!

We had lunch in a restaurant there ....the usual cold plate but with a few warm things....not sure what to call it, but it was like a "rice ball" but tasty and something like spinach and ham tiny croissant....yummy. Then our pasta with a red sauce, then thin slices of pork and roasted potatoes and salad....and then a trio of 2 bite desserts...one was lemony, one chocolatey and the other just different.

Then we were headed to the villa for pizza nite. Rita, Carla and Peroena were waiting on us. We ate our leftover gelato from last nite and out came the wine.

We made dough and chopped lots of things for toppings. They let the dough rise then put it in several pans that each had about a 2 inch side. then the topping started. Then we had to take them next door where they have an outdoor brick bread oven, but they let us use it to bake pizza. It was awesome to watch this. We also met Bubba the pig .....he lives next door, is 10mths old and he's HUGE...and he will be next years proscuitto!!

The singing, dancing, laughing and pizza eating was a blast.....good thing the neighbors like us!!

The later it got, the more shots that were drank and the funnier things got.

Our dessert tonite was hazelnut chocolate and ricotta cheese pizza....yum.

Each week someone is presented with a Bubba the Pig...small stuffed pink version. ....well, yours truly got the pig. They seem to think my connection to Delta will allow him to travel a lot. So, I am tasked with "friending" Bubba on facebook and posting pictures of his travels....well, he's about to see Paris!!! After that....we'll see.

Oh Deb.....one thing we learned was that Bella means beautiful in Italian....how cool!!

We had a blast tonite and Michael told us they will now do pizza nite around the huge kitchen island standing up and they will now make chocolate biscotti....all because our group did this 2 things and had a ball.

We said our goodbyes and headed back to our "little homes" for our last nite. Our shuttle bus for Rome leaves at 615a.....our flt to Paris is at 1230p.....so we will have some time at the airport to figure things out.

Good night and good bye Soriano.....thank you ....we had a blast!!!

Look out Paris here we come.

I drank too much Tequilla last night........

"Nathie...have u ever heard the song ...I drank too much tequilla last night?"......this was Susan's first question to me as she was moaning that she didn't want to get up.....I said "no"....then she said "well the next line is....the light is shinning in my eye that is open.....and that's how I feel....the light is in my eye that is open." But then she got up and headed to the shower.

It was nice to have the extra time yesterday.....

We wake up to church bells and a siren each morning. The siren is to signal it's time to go to work...wow, not sure I'd like that rude reminder each morning.

It was very foggy this morning....we could not see ANYTHING off our balcony, but it is not cold. The fog is already beginning to lift ....wonderful.

I was first in the shower so had some extra time to get this started.....we are headed to The Dying City today ....Civita di Bagnoregio it is literally crumbling away. Then on to a family run olive mill and winery where we will have lunch. Then we will be cooking.....limoncello/biscotti and gelato day!! We will be in the kitchen at 1p our time so that is 7a EST....we are usually in the kitchen 2-3 hrs.

Chow for now..........

What a fabulous day.....and it did clear up, but not before we got to Civita. It was the MOST interesting place I have ever seen. It was foggy and rainy but that kind of added to the mystique of the city. Yes, would have been nice if it had been blue skies, but we were fine. You had to walk a narrow bridge about 1/2 mile to get to the top of the mountain that it sits on. It was so cool. There are only about 12-15 full-time residents living there now. There is a small "hotel"...more like a room to rent where you can stay if u wish. There is a church....of course, and a few shops. I think 2 restaurants and 1 coffee/gelato shop. The walls are literally falling off and down into the valley/woods below....it's just really something you need to see. Maybe the pictures will somewhat do it justice. Susan said this is something Mike and Laura would love to do. From there we went to the family owned olive mill and winery. You would never believe the process for making olive oil. We learned that extra virgin olive oil is less than 1% acidity....and olive oil should never get warm or exposed to light. Therefore, always buy olive oil in a can. This olive oil was .22% acidity...very amazing and very good. This is more for salads and dipping not really cooking, but u can do whatever u wish with it.

Their wine was also good.....finally some good white wine. AND we had some good red wine. We've been getting 6-7% alcohol this was 12-14%...woohoo!! Most of us left there feeling no pain.

So glad we had a driver!!! Lunch in the winery was awesome....cheese, cold meats, olive paste on bread, beef liver pate on bread, tomato bruschetta, and homemade jelly for the cheese. Never put jelly on cheeses before but is was very good. Then we had some cooked beans...not sure what kind but rather tasty. Dessert was ricotta cheese with honey....and we were told that sheep's milk had been in the sheep this morning, but by lunch time was in our bowl......talk about fresh!!!

This winery also gave us another bathroom adventure...we had to walk thru the shower area to get to the toilette....someone could write a book about European potty's!!

After a few purchases we were off to the villa to cook. The sun was out and it was a great afternoon. Since we were making all dessert type things, Carla and Rita fixed us Spaghetti alla Carbonara for dinner......different but good. But before dinner we had pickled pearl onions, olives, cold meats, artichoke hearts, 3 types of cheeses sliced, jelly's for cheese, bread and oil and beans. My favorite tonite was our chocolate gelato....it was amazing. OK family.....I will do an Italian nite, but you guys have to be willing to help me cook. This is excellent food, but does take much prep.

After much singing, dancing, drinking and cutting up, we headed home. Got home a bit early again as we have to have bags packed for pick up tomorrow morning since Saturday morning starts sooooooo early they need to pick up tomorrow instead. Will take a bit of thinking on our parts.

Another few notes on our Italian discoveries.....the cars here are TINY!!! because the streets are so narrow and there is NOwhere to park, there are lots of small cars. As a matter of fact we have a picture of me looking over the top of a mini VW bug......now that's small!!

And things certainly do move on Italian time....which is somewhat like island time....they'll do it when they get ready to....or maybe not at all!!!!

If you want to see pictures and hear video you can check out Culture Discovery on Facebook....we're already there!!!

Night Night.........until tomorrow, our last day in Soriano!!!

Oh dear it's raining!!!!

In the loft where I am sleeping there is a sky-light. I could hear the rain this morning...hummmm. We were able to sleep a little longer today...how wonderful. Shuttle was not leaving until 10a....woohoo!!

The rain did come and go, but thankfully stopped long enough for our uphill/downhill walk into town.......before telling of today's adventures...here's a bit more observations about Italy.....

Gas is $6.50/gallon....there are no real speed limits, just keep up. There is a castle around every corner, but they are really cool. It is VERY dry here(I was glad to see the rain).

This is also the land of where do you flush the toilet??? Sometimes you pull a cord, push a button that may be on the wall or on the back of the toilet, or push a stem on the tank up....either way it is always entertaining. And when it's time to wash your hands, most of the time to turn on the water you use a pedal under the sink....always an adventure. We Americans are so spoiled. Smoking is alive and well...the tobacco companies are being supported by Europeans.

Though there is wine with lunch and dinner...it's often cheap....6%-7% alcohol and not always that good. We have opted to save those calories sometimes. This was most evident when Michael, our host and owner of Culture Discovery, opened some $300+ bottle of Bollero last night....it was wonderful. Speaking of saving calories....one of our tour-mates has a pedometer, just yesterday in Viterbo we walked 7500 steps and that was before lunch.....yep, this is the only way we are still fitting in our jeans. All my walking did a fair job of prepping me, but my calves were screaming after day 2.....now, by day 4....they are calming down. We do LOTS of walking and then our walk "home" each nite is a hoot....we crack up every nite and doing it.

Soriano is a population of only 8500 and is wonderfully friendly. We have felt safe and comfortable from the beginning. It is fall here and we see some leaf color and wonderful cooler weather. If the wind is blowing, it's sometimes very cool....but we'd rather that than scorching hot. They have an interesting mix of trees...pines...palms....cypress.....go figure!!

There cooking is outstanding....during our first class someone said the Italians have "balance" figured out...not too much spice, but just enough of many things to be good. This is true.

Speaking of balance....they must also find great balance in their diets...there is pizza and gelato on every corner....how do the resist?? We've had our daily gelato's....it's a RULE!!!! The cheese here is wonderful I'm now known as "cheese girl"....I always want more romano or parmesan to sprinkle...yum!

Our tour group......we have different folks that tour with us and ones that help us in the villa for cooking. Rocky is one guide.....an American that is here making a "mid-life" change. He's very enthusiastic and good. He's taking Italian lessons and doing rather well. Spartico...an Italian that is a tour guide, but I think, not really sure what he wants to be "when he grows up"!!! And he's in his 40's...humm. Spartico is ok, but is sometimes distracted. Ian has been our other guide and has an interesting story. He and his wife Pita and 2 sons Dane (10) and Hamish (13) moved here from Australia 2.5yrs ago. Ian and Pita wanted the boys to learn another language and experience another culture...so here they are. Wow...that takes some guts, but what an awesome adventure for the boys. The boys are so mannerly and have made good tour guides and dinner partners when they are with us....the exposure to different people and cultures is already paying off. Sergio drives our shuttle and speaks little to no English but will help you if he can and is super nice.

Carla and Rita are our cooking crew....awesome and both balls of fire. So friendly and so willing to do anything. Michael and his wife Paola are the owner's. She is back in the USA right now (in FL) with their son so he can get an American education...we are so sorry we missed meeting them. Michael is a ball of fire.....I don't think he ever sleeps.....has that business type brain and has been into many things.....but also a fun guy.

So as you can see...it has been a fun and interesting trip.

Now.....for today's adventures..... We all decided at breakfast to play the lottery as a group....it's 25million Euro, so if we win Susan and I will be staying a while looking for real estate!! We then drove to Deruta to Ceramiche Torretti factory. Beautiful ceramic factory. After watching the master potter, one person in our group tried their hand at the wheeled pottery making. With "the master" their to help it looked fun. It was a great stop. Then we were off to Assisi home to St. Frances Basilica. Our bus was too large for the city so we stopped in a parking lot and took 2 escalators to the street. Wow....how cool is that!!

Then we went through some really cool open gates (HUGE wooden doors) and walked to our lunch spot. It was yummy, was a bit different than the norm. The first plate was risotto, salami, a baked egg something, and a toasted piece of bread....then some pasta and finally salad and roasted potatoes, and dessert....very good. I was not crazy about dessert so I was holding out for my daily gelato. After lunch we got maps and we were turned loose. 6 of us went together to see St. Clare Cathedral...amazing. She was even on display in a glass case!!! ok, was that her body in there with a covering over it....was she under that case....who the heck knows....wow these folks have spent much time and money on these cathedrals and tombs.

Then we went to the Assisi underground. This is where the city used to be and has been built on top of for many years.

The we were on the St. Frances Basilica....this is a HUGE cathedral built in his honor for giving away all of us riches to the poor. It's 3 full churches built on top of each other and his tomb is in the bottom level. It's quite amazing.

We then drove 1.5hr back to Soriano to a local pizza joint. We had pizza by the meter and headed home. We actually got home at 945p....that is awesome.

Time to do a few things and head to bed....tomorrow is another 930a day!!!

Good night from rainy Soriano!!!

Viterbo, lunch and to the Villa to Cook

First...a few things we have learned about Italy.....

We were told on day one, you will not see Italy, you will experience it.....this has been oh so true!!!

1. they are crazy drivers

2. They start early, take a 4hr break in the middle of the day, and are open again until 8p.

3. Dinner never starts before 8p.....

4. There is always LOTS of wine

5. People are charming and really try to help you

We turned in some clothes to get laundered today and we'll be fine now.

Our shuttle left at 930a again for a short ride to Viterbo....another lovely medievel town with lots of charm. Ian was our guide today and a few in our party stayed back. The days are long and we are all getting short on sleep. We did some walking touring and a little shopping. We didn't find much to buy, but enjoyed our time.

Then we were brought to the villa for another cooking class.

Tonight was bruschetta di Stracchino Pancetta....awesome. We MADE pasta...gosh that's hard....might do that again but had a blast doing it once. We made a Bolognese sauce and spinach and Panna Cotta for dessert....wonderful. Lots of wine and lots of fun.

We finally have our Paris flight booked so we feel good about that.

We are truly enjoying this...and love the relaxed time at the villa.

We are having an earlier nite......so good night from our now warm apartment.

We finally got our heat fixed.

Until tomorrow.........

Running on a little sleep...but loving Italy!!!

Kelley and Larry you guys need to move to Italy…..dinner NEVER starts before 8p and like tonite not until 9p. Therefore, we are never home before 11p and we are up by 8a. And we write all this before we go to bed, whew….but we’re still having a ball.

We were off and running again today…and on the shuttle by 930a…..it was going to be a long ride, about 2hrs.

Our road trip today was long, but worth it. They don’t believe in rest stops here, so to use a potty it’s a gas station….or a small café….where it is rude to use the toilette if you don’t buy something….so we were all dying and we finally got to stop but we all had to have a drink of some sort…..once that was done we were off to Abbazia di Sant’ Antimo. www.edizioni.antimo.it This is an abbey and we needed to be there in time for the 1245p chant. There were 3 monks for that…it was very interesting…didn’t last long, but I’d never seen or heard that before. We read that they do this 7 times a day….wow.

Then we headed to Croce Di Mezzo winery for lunch. It was wonderful. Again, the cold meat tray and bread and brochette, then a pasta with red sauce, then chicken/ribs/sausage roasted potatoes and salad….lots of wine and dessert. Then we toured the winery and headed off to the town of Montalcino. Another small walking town that has a wonderful cheese shop. We had a gelato and kept moving. On to Montepulciano winery. …home of the world renowned Vino Nobile wine. Their wine cellar is known to many as the most beautiful wine cellar in the world. Not sure about beautiful, but for sure VERY old.

By this time it is almost 7p and we have a 1.5 hr ride back to Soriano….and of course dinner. Actually we could all most likely go to our apts and crash. However, we are being hosted this evening by some friends at their BandB…so we graciously go.

Most of us slept on the ride back…..we are whopped but keep going!!!

It was a lovely home the wood floors were amazing. We had another fine dinner. Starter, 3 different types of brochette, followed by pasta, which we were told is called Midnight Pasta. Where we in the USA have pizza at midnight to kill the craving, they fix this. It was very simple…spaghetti pasta/olive oil/little red pepper and romano cheese….yum and sort of light. Then followed by English peas, roasted potatoes, and a thin sliced roasted pork with prosciutto on it. Then dessert was a cream type tart with pine nuts and another tart that we are not sure what the filling was….but nice. Her home-made biscotti was the best we’ve had so far.

We said our thank you’s and headed back to Soriano…a very short ride thankfully. Once again we headed up our several hills around 11p…..we are very glad tomorrow is a short ride to do some shopping and lunch and back to the villa to cook.

See ya on the web-cam tomorrow…..good night from chilly Italy!!!

Pitigliano here we come……..

Today we toured this lovely mountain town in Tuscany. We had to be at Bar Roma for pastry breakfast by 845a and on the shuttle bus by 915a. We all made it, but some were still dragging but there. We had been warned, they would leave us if we were late.

Off we went with Sergio driving and Rocky talking. It was a beautiful sunny day but a bit windy and chilly, but we were ok.

We went through lovely windy roads and country side that reminded Susan of California. At Pitigliano, which is an small mountain village, we went through a museum explaining how the Jews came to live here. It was a Jewish ghetto and many were sent here to live underground...known as The Jewish Underground. So the rooms we saw were all underground, the Kosher Cellar, Butcher...the Ritual bath...just fascinating.
 A lot of Italian dishes have been influenced by the Jewish culture.

                            It was lovely day for strolling....the streets are so pretty  and so unique.

The Italians are serious about their wild boar...it is really very good. 

This shop wanted to be sure you knew they had it for sale.

One group shot before heading back to Soriano

 Then we spent time walking the streets, checking out the shops and the views. Beautiful doors, and yes, Mike, we are noticing them. Nathie had us sampling jerky she bought at one the local stores. It was quite good. We had lunch at a trattoria and have learned that every meal starts with a meat tray, bread and wine. Then the first course was lasagna, then roasted chicken with a red sauce and salad. No dessert!

Back in the bus for the ride to the villa and our first day of cooking. The drive up the village is past groves of hazelnut trees. Villa Eddarella is a 350 year old house that they spent over a million remodeling and returning it to much of it’s original Italian architecture. The kitchen was modernized to be able to run the business. However the modernized kitchen does not take away from the Italian charm. They are adding an outdoor pavilion that will have a brick pizza oven, bar-b-que grill, large sink and lots of seating.

We were welcomed as family and told that we could open any bottle of wine to drink and to move around the Villa as we wanted as we were now home. It’s amazing that 14 people plus 3 of their staff can cook in one kitchen on one meal. We all helped peel, chop, shred, whip, mix and put together the following: panzanella, risotto with shaved parmigiano reggiano cheese, Tuscan roasted chicken, Tuscan roasted potatoes and Tiramisu. Dinner was wonderful. There was much singing, drinking and picture taking. We even had the opportunity to learn how to carve prosciutto.

The huge kitchen island was big enough for all of us to stand around it....wonderful kitchen

Toasting our first dinner together!!

After dinner and many glasses of wine, the Borello and Limoncello and Limoncello Cream came out. Many shots were done, no doubt folks will sleep good tonite.

Coffee was served and we learned that it is against Italian law to serve Cappuccino after 11a!!!! WE broke the law….we didn’t care!!

Michael and Rocky entertained us with their stories of how they came to live in Soriano.

As we were all tired our nite ended around 10p and we were climbing the hill to our little home by 1030p. We were told that tomorrow will be our longest road trip day as we will be visiting Val D’Orcia where we will go to an Abbey, hear the Monks chant and shop. We will also visit 2 wineries and a cheese shop. Dinner will be hosted by Spartico’s sister Maria Grazia at her private villa nestled in the woods.

This has truly been wonderful so far and we still have much to go.

Good night from Nathie and Susan’s villa…..Ponticello.

OMG I look like my Passport Picture!!!!

This is how the day started…..as I was dressing in our room, Susan was in the bathroom…and all of a sudden I hear….“Oh my gosh I look like my passport picture”….needless to say, I cracked up…she was looking in the mirror at her still tired eyes!!! We didn’t get into bed until around 11p as we decided to take advantage of doing some self-laundry in the hotel and had to be up at 8a to get back to the airport to meet Spartico (our 45 yr old good looking guide, as we had been told) and head to Soriano. So we were still a bit short on sleep….but we got up and got moving.

Mom…you’d be proud of me….necessity is the mother of invention….I wanted to have a banana with peanut butter, but I didn’t have a spoon or knife. Well, ice tongs CAN make-shift as a knife if you need them too…so just in case anyone gets stuck with that same problem…there ya have it, problem solved!!!

We head downstairs and make the 915a shuttle back to the airport. Went directly to the meeting spot and OH YEAH…..to heck with Greek Gods, we are all about Italian ones…..wow ladies, these men are nice. We actually noticed this yesterday….but today I think we became relaxed enough to take in ALL the scenery. Immediately he got us water and tea….let the real vacation begin!!! Soon we were joined by Sue, Jan and Jan’s daughter Brooke from Chicago….they will be loads of fun. Next came Tamera and husband Paul and then a single woman Judy. That was it for the airport pick-up so off we went to our shuttle bus where Sergio our driver was waiting. The drive was about 1.5hrs and once we got out of the city it was a lovely country drive.

Soriano from a distance with the castle on top....just gorgeous.

As we pulled into the town of Soriano it was like we had been picked up and put down in a Dicken’s Village. It is amazing!!!! Deb, Shea you two would be picture taking fools…..this place is even making me get into photos….it’s just wonderful. Cobble stone streets everywhere, alley ways, TONS of steps and quaint shops and friendly people. We both feel so safe and comfortable.

The Gateway into the Soriano.....

The city was still decorated from The Chestnut Festival that had just happened.

The bus stopped beside the sidewalk and unloaded us quickly. The streets are narrow and the drivers are crazy. Waiting for us was Carla, Rocky, Ian and Rita they helped us all to find our apartments for the week. Susan and I will be walking off our desserts…..we are up some good hills and steps. Yep Mom, walking the driveway is paying off…yahoo!!! The castle looms above us and is just gorgeous.

Waiting for us was a bottle of wine, a plate of fresh fruit, sandwiches, water, milk and juice….plenty. We opened that wine, walked out on our balcony and toasted to our trip. Susan said….”ya know, if we don’t do anything else this week I’ve gotten my moneys worth”…..that says it all….the town is wonderful and our apartment is charming. Although we will be doing LOTS of things…..we are already thrilled.

We got settled in and took off to explore. We walked the streets, went in 2 churches, ate fried apple slices from a vendor, and were just amazed. Mike we get the fascination with the doors now….wow, they are so cool. People’s front doors are right off the sidewalks….and they are so amazing. Huge thick wood with lots of different hardware….gorgeous. We also now have what we call the “Rome rule of 3”…..we believe that these folks, especially the women, must just put on the first 3 things they find in their closet…does not matter if it matches or not….it is a hoot!!

We both called home to let everyone know we were good to go and we headed to our 530p meeting place. We met the other 7 in our party….our grp is 14.…nice number. We had some gelato and introduced ourselves then headed out to do some shopping for our cooking class tomorrow. However, we made a quick stop at a mobile cart where they were selling roasted pork sandwiches. They had roasted a whole boneless pig, wow was that good. We were told that folks come from several miles away to get them…..I see why. We bought our groceries and headed up the hill to the castle. By now it was dark, a bit windy and chilly. Once again we were prepared we were fine….vests and jackets and good to go. It was gorgeous all lit up at night. Until 1970 this castle was still used as a jail, is now empty…..but fascinating.

Our first group picture....this was going to be a good group, and lots of fun.

From here we walked a good ways to our restaurant….we were ready for that. We had wine, prosciutto, bread with artichoke spread/wild boar spread/olive spread and crepes filled with cheese…..yep this was just an appetizer. First course, tortellini type pasta with a white sauce and ham (much like my dinner last nite…2nd course pasta with red sauce, then a wonderful thin cut braised beef with roasted potatoes and a small salad (we skipped salad….we can eat that at home)….then came limoncello,is very yummy and Prego, taste like turpentine drinks and tiramisu. Wow what a meal…..glad I have stretchy jeans.

The owner of the restaurant thought Susan needed some help....he was a clown and made the evening fun.

Michael joined us at dinner and it was a delightful fun time. We walked home and will now fall into bed. We have to meet at Bar Roma at 845a for pastry and OJ/coffee or tea and be on the bus by 915 to go tour Pitigliano.

We will have our first cooking class tomorrow and will spend the afternoon at the villa.

We could not be happier…this is everything and more that we hoped for.

Until tomorrow….good night from Soriano

Celebrating 50 yrs and 5yrs FREE

We made it to Rome...yahoo!! Flights were looking rough and we were worried, but what a relief it was to get those boarding cards!!! Unfortunately we were not together, I got a Business Elite seat and Susan got Economy Comfort...but we were headed to Italy!!! We were celebrating my 50th birthday and Susan's 5yr breast cancer free....both happened in October!! This was going to be a great trip. Just after we took off I saw a rainbow....that was my sign, all was well....we would be ok and have an awesome trip.

We both had our dinners and tried to get some sleep. Susan did better than I did....maybe I was just excited. I watched Something Borrowed....and still didn't get much sleep. The flight went very well and we both agreed the 9.5hrs went by quicker than we figured. Finally it was time to land in Rome...it was a gorgeous day...temps were around 77. Denny had reserved our room for us once we knew for sure we were on the flt. Our luggage came quickly and out the door we went to find the hotel shuttle....of course ours was the LAST pick up spot.....but that was ok. We were in Itay.....and ready for our Soriano excursion.

We got to the hotel and after proving, thanks to the email Denny sent me, that our rate was 170 Euro's, not the 255 euros they tried to charge, we were checked in and ready to go tour Rome. We also called our Soriano hosts and let them know we had arrived and set a new pick-up sched for Saturday....ok.....let's go see Rome.

We took the shuttle back to the airport and then went across the street to the train station. We didn't have a clue what train, where to go, or anything about tickets. Well....they are fairly "english" friendly so signs and nice people guided us. Soon we were on the train headed to the center of Rome...a 35min ride....wow. At this point I was sinking a bit....so I napped a little. We were trying to not think about how long we'd been up, we just wanted to get immediately on Rome time, and for 2 old ladies we were hanging pretty good. We noticed how many of the homes all look adobe like....even the new construction. And they are really far behind in technology....I have never seen so many antennas on the top of buildings....I'm guessing if they had FIOS or maybe even cable they would flip. They also have HUGE bandwidth issues.

Ok...so we are at the other end of this train ride and once again, have no idea which way to go to get to the city. OK..so we start asking around and we found a tourist info desk...yahoo. So we wanted to go to Fontana di Trevi.....ok, we were told to take bus 175. So off we go to buy a ticket and find the bus stop....check...check. We made that happen fairly easily. By this time we've been up a really long time, opted to stay in our flying clothes and have traveled by car/plane/shuttle/train/bus....boats are about all we've missed so far and maybe we'll even do that!! So we start walking....we find Trevi Fountain....wow there were lots of folks there. It was really neat...and not like I remember.

Now, as luck would have it, I spotted one of many gelato shops close by....had to have it. I got caramel and chocolate...Susan had melon and pistachio....I won, mine was better....but she is more adventuresome!!! My thought on that is, life is too uncertain DON'T MESS WITH DESSERT.....you can't go wrong with chocolate.

Next we were off to find the Pantheon....we found it. Actually to us it was not a huge deal....but we got that one checked off. Now we thought we headed for the Spanish Steps...(P.ZZA Spagna), However, we eneded up walking a bit the wrong way so we got to see the memorial to the first King of Italy.....pretty cool...bonus. Getting lost has it's benefits!!!

Now we were headed for the Spanish steps.....made it...that was cool. The street that leads to the steps is lined with many high end stores.....very nice.

Brooke you would be in heaven, every other store is awesome shoes. We sat on the steps for a while and just absorbed the culture...as the saying goes...when in Rome!!!

We were getting rather hungry so we were off to pick from the many sidewalk cafe's. We made our selection and got very lucky. Susan had a panini and I had a pasta dish with a white sauce and ham....yum. And for you Sally we had our first, of many, tirimasu's. It was huge, we were very glad we were splitting one.

Time to head to the hotel....back on the bus, back to the train station then the shuttle to the hotel. Was a long ride but we got it done and were back around 830p. When we got back to the room right off we couldn't figure out the lights. How the heck did u get them on??? OK....time to ask, luckily a cleaning lady was down the hall....she showed me that we had to put our room key in a slot beside the door just as you come in....WOW, would have NEVER gotten that one. OK, we had lights. This was probably our first of many electrical and light adventures. We'd been up a looooong time, but we HAD to both have showers and we decided to do a little laundry while we could....so our night got a bit late, but we were really ready for tomorrow. We were in Rome, the hard travel day was over and we had good beds. Can't wait to see Soriano!!!

Good night from Rome.......

The BIG 5-0...yep I hit that Milestone!!!

Hello everyone....yes, has been a long timesince I've written anything. Corporate Cube World does not make for the most interesting reading....but I guess I have done some things other than work.
Back in April my little niece Ashley turned 13...to celebrate she and I went zip-lining...oh my what a blast. Loved the zipping, didn't like the "swinging tight rope" bridges in between, but I made it.
The back in May little nephew Chad came to work with me one day for "Bring your kid to work" day. Since I don't have any, I borrow them....we had a blast. Here at the Delta HDQ they ahd many activities, including his favorite of going down the emergency slide of a 757....pretty cool. Then we were off for a tour of the jet base hangers, thanks to a great friend Jeff. If he does not want to work for Delta by now I'd be shocked.
It was a hot slow summer....I made several trips to Sarasota when I could....still love it there.
I visited my RV friend Linda K. in Maine back in July...had a great 4 nites there. And in August Susan M. and I went to Charm, Ohio for 3 nites. A lovely Amish area. Be ready to EAT when you go there...wonderful bakeries and lots of other goodies!!
We stayed at a wonderful B&B, The Charm Country View Inn.... www.charmcountryviewinn.com
The couple that own/run this are absolutely delightful. And the breakfasts are AMAZING!!!

But most of my time I live in GA with Mom and Shea....we have dubbed ourselves "The Golden Girls". We do really well together....not much the 3 of us can't handle.

This summer we started having "Family Fun Nite"....we planned something fun and we'd all get together..."just because"....we had a ball. One night was ....Mexican and Movies and Mom's....our next night was ceramic nite. Some of us are very good....some not so much, but we all had fun....and the time together was most

Speaking of fun....I turned 50 yesterday and thanks to everyone I had a ball for 2 days. From cookies and decor deliverd to my office personally by Mom, Shea and Debbie to a great fun dinner at The Cheesecake Factory...it was all wonderful. My thanks to all that joined me and helped to make it a really special time.

My Cheescake Factory Dinner was a blast....even though my birthday fell on a week night, everybody came, thanks so much guys. Even my buds Pam and Carol came....
Shea made me this super cool cake that had Italy and France on it since that's where I was heading....she's too good.!! The cake was strawberry, incorporating 2 of my favorite things chocolate and strawberries, does it get any better than that???

Best friends Carol and Pam

Chad, Kelley and me

Sweet little kids...Ashley and Chad

Sweet big kids...Dave, Brooke and Brad

(we missed Britt and Dessie)

Mom and me

And my gift to me is a trip to Italy and France with good friend Susan Meadors. We leave today for one week of cooking school in Soriano, Italy and then on to Paris for 3 nites....we just can't wait.

So, I am reviving this blog to help us journal and so everyone can follow along with us.

Sorry for the length of time since my last blog....I will try to do better. And for the next 12 days I will be really good.....so....come along for the ride and see what our adventures will be.

Spring is Sprunging

Where did February go? Was busy and cold and not much to blog about. Life has been stay warm and go to work. Mom's birthday celebration in Feb was at Brooke and Dave's house...really nice, we all had a great time. I gave Mom a cooking class for her birthday. We went to a one nite class and had a blast...perhaps I'll do that again.
Shea had her tonsils out again and is doing ok. Maybe things will get more exciting since Spring is coming. We have had some really nice weather and things are blooming ....next will come the awful yellow pollen...but then will come the warmth...yahoo. This weekend time will change so we get an extra hour of daylight..that will be soooooo nice.
I didn't make it home to FL at all in Feb, but I cam down last Thurs and will go back tomorrow....has been sooooo nice to be at home for a bit. The beach, the sun...it's been so good. My friend Linda, with the big Dutch Star, will be in town soon. I'll go visit her and get a small RV fix...still anxious for my next life and still working towards that goal. I read
www.rv-dreams.com and dream about things i'll do and see in the years to come. It will all be worth it, but the waiting is killing me. However, waiting is the smartest financial move right now. Not sure when the house will ever sell so it may be a while....that's ok, I still have to work a while too.
I moved into the world of Smart Phones this past weekend...wow, there's lots to learn...it will be very handy but will be glad when the learning curve is less. I got a Motorola droid I think it will do all I need to do. Now the debate IPAD...yes or no???
Not much news....maybe more things to report on as the weather gets better.

Let it Snow...Let it Snow

Oh my, Jan in Ga has proven to be very "white"!!! Last week we had so much snow and ice we were all stuck at home for 3-4 days. AND....for only the second time ever GA had a White Christmas. Yep....it snowed Christmas Day....was gone in about 2 days, unlike last week, but it was pretty and unusual for Ga. We were warned there may be a "wintery mix" this weekend, we shall pray not....this southern girl is ready for some heat. Last weekend in FL was a much needed break. A short overnite stay on Captiva Island was just what the doctor ordered!!! Did have to deal with some rain...but at least it was warm. Got in lots of bike riding and had a blast. I missed my beach time but I was not in cold and snow...yahoo!!! We ate at this really cool place The Bubble Room http://www.bubbleroomrestaurant.com/facts.html It was fantastic!!! If you ever go to Captiva you MUST eat here. It's a bit $$$$ but worth it. The Orange Crumb Cake is to die for.....maybe next time I'll try the cheesecake. I had the spicy shrimp...yummm-o!!
The Wildlife Refuge was great. Would have liked to have biked the 4 mile trail but the rain won... maybe next time. Got in a "girl night" with friend Kathy and it was a great 5 nites at home.
Meanwhile....back in ATL the snow and ice melted so I came back to cold, but roads were all good. And it's back to cube-world and new adventures. Many new projects are happening at Delta and things are moving fast.
I did not get to join my RV friends for New Year's...maybe I will soon...I'm getting RV withdrawals!! Am so ready for the next life but can't jump until the checkbook says it's time!!

It's a wonderful Friday....well, they are all wonderful........so, hope you have a great weekend.
Hope you are somewhere warmer than Atlanta, GA!!!