Updates and More AwardsBlessings from Bloggers

I received these awards while I was out on my vacation from my friends, Sandy at Flip Flop Floozie and Lauren at Baseballs and Bows. Both of these ladies are the epitome of "Thoughtful Bloggers" in my opinion.

I'd love to tag just five people, but I can't. You see, if you're on MY blogroll it's because you ARE a thoughtful blogger OR a creative blogger. I love this vehicle and have been so blessed to meet some of you in real life. And those of you who I "read" regularly are as important to me as those people I come into physical contact with regularly.

If you're reading this post, and you are a "frequent visitor" and/or are on my blogroll, and you haven't accepted this award, please feel free to do so. YOU DO deserve it!! Many hugs to each of you.

And now we return to regularly scheduled BLOGGING!

Just a a little rant that I HAVE to get off my chest!

• For those of you who visit regularly, you know that we've been in a new church since January. Our church is out of the box and seeking to reach out to the community around us and the world at large. For the most part, it is a good fit for me and my family. Because it is so mission minded, and reaches out to all types of people, it attracts all types of people. Don't get me wrong, I love this. But it is also one of the things that I find frustrating.

We have several people who are involved in homeless ministry here in our town. They are directly involved in giving food and clothes to people in need. Now, please understand what I am saying. Often people who work in these settings are more "radical". One person that attends regularly is a "pastor" who works at the Salvation Army. I'm not sure what he's a pastor of...but suffice it to say he's a bit "out there". He wears a ring on each hand. He carries a ton of keys that rattle when he walks. He is often dressed in Christian t-shirts. I'm not trying to judge appearance, I want you to have a picture. For me, it reminds me of when I was a new Christian and people were called, "Jesus Freaks" and "Radically Saved" which again, I do NOT have a problem with (and even admire) most of the time.

One of the last times I was in church before all our traveling, the children were "dancing" in the middle of the floor in front of the worship band. It was really fun watching them be so joyful. This man was in the front row and began throwing silver coins into the crowd of children. I am assuming these were some type of "witnessing coin". Of course it sent the kids scrambling like they were at a town parade each time one went clink on the hard floor. I was still "ok" with this...although the teacher in me could see a potential disaster. The kids were happy, however, and all was well.

Anyway, after the children disbursed, he started walking around the room and putting these coins in the hands of people who were worshiping with their hands raised. THIS bothered me. I mean people are in a state of worship with their eyes closed and he is going up and touching their hands and giving them these coins. I wondered if they were bothered as I would have been. In my mind that's like someone interrupting a prayer.

This person will often stand up AFTER the pastor has spoken and add something else...a prayer request, a testimony, etc. THIS bothers me. I mean ONCE in a while, OK, but when it becomes an every week occurance, I find it annoying. I am usually busy reflecting on the teaching and it's like he has to add a PS...WHY??

Yesterday, he came in and sat down in front of us. During the worship, he ran in FRONT of the worship band twice to go say hello to someone across the room. Anyone with manners would have gone behind the seats and not made a spectacle of themselves. THEN, upon returning to his seat, the worship continued. Suddenly, he pulled out one of those silver coins and rolled it across the floor to the people he'd just greeted! The coin clinked across the floor and hit the wall on the other side of the room.

It disturbs MY worship. I know it may sound selfish. I know that I should be focused on God and not on people, and I've TRIED to let it go. I can't. Or I haven't yet.

I told DH after the service yesterday that I almost went up to him afterwards to tell him that he is a distraction. But I don't know this person. And I am not sure what he'd think hearing such words from a "woman". Some men would be bothered by that and discount it because of it. DH said he also thought about approaching him yesterday, kindly, but firmly.

What do you think? What would you do?

Sunday Seven

I am pretty sure it'd be easy to do a "Sunday Seventeen" today since we have been so blessed this week (and because I haven't done a Sunday Seven since we've been traveling). We DO have so much to be thankful for...

1. Spending time with family has been probably one of our biggest blessings. I really wanted to get to Ohio and see my Grandmother and my aunts, uncles, and cousins who live there. We had a great time at "Game Night at Grandma's" this week. We played Skipbo, Scrabble, Uno, and BINGO (with prizes). The photo on the left is the BINGO crowd. For a while, the kids also played "Hillbilly Golf" or "Ladder Ball" (apparently this goes by many different names). This was new to me...but I got one to bring back home to Florida because it was a fun backyard game. It is hard to see in the photo on the right, but you fling these rubber golf balls onto the rungs of the ladder and get points accordingly.

2. Sharing "history" with my boys is always fun. One of the things that we love to do is go visit the cemetary in our home town. There is great history there. Of course, we visit our own family sites, but one place they love to see is the "Merchant Ball". This giant ball in the middle is 5200 pounds and it rotates mysteriously a little each year. You can see the spot where it is supposed to sit on the pedestal when you go visit. In this photo that I borrowed from online, you can also see the "little balls" that mark each family member's grave site. When the boys and I went there the other day, one of the little balls had rolled right off its spot and down the hill to another headstone! This is certainly a mystery.

3. I enjoyed taking the boys to the Indian caverns near our hometown. I have seen the signs for years, but never visited there. We were able to go in the caverns, climb rock towers (OK they did that), play mini-golf, and do some gem minings. DS 4 also had fun feeding the animals on the property.

4. Traveling safely is such a blessing. We traveled without incident and that's always a good thing.

5. The National Air Force Museum was absolutely amazing! DS 3, especially, was in the height of his glory while actually seeing the planes he has spent so much time learning about this year. It is obvious that aviation is in his blood. He was telling me things about the planes as we approached them...then when I'd read the sign, it would reiterate almost the same information. It was amazing. If you are ever near Dayton, Ohio, this is a great FREE activity.

6. One of the highlights of my week, was meeting Jane at Cozy Reader yesterday. We stopped in Atlanta and visited for breakfast before the boys and I headed south. She is just as delightful as I had hoped. And she blessed us by buying our breakfast...which she did NOT have to do! I thoroughly enjoyed talking with Jane and getting to know her a bit more. I only wish we had had more time to visit...as we had to make the long drive home from there afterwards. I can't wait to go to Georgia in the Fall and visit with Jane and all the other Blogging Gals from the South! It will be such fun!

7. The BEST part of the week, however, was getting to come home and see my DH again! I miss him when we're away from each other. He leaves for a week today to go work. So, it was nice that our paths crossed, if only for a short time.

And for the final leg of our journey...

I get to meet Jane in the morning. I am so excited! We have a lot in common since we are both married to United Methodist ministers who are graduates of Asbury Seminary. I have been reading Jane's blog almost since I started blogging. It's been such a joy to get to "know" her via this "tool" called the Internet...but it will be even more of a joy to meet her in real life.

I want to encourage any of you who get the chance to meet up with a fellow blogger to go for it. I have been so blessed each time I've done this.

After we have breakfast here in the Atlanta area, the boys and I will head back home for our final part of this journey. It's been such a joy, but I'm ready to get home and sleep in my own bed! Remember, I've only slept there about 4 times since July 1st. OK, truth be told, I miss my DH and my other two DSs more than I miss my bed. I'm anxious to see all of them as well.

I promise I'll have pics up as soon as I am back to normal...all right, "normal" for me.

Blessings to all!!

Signs, signs everywhere there's signs...

Today, DSs 3 & 4, our cousin, and I went to The National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. This place was AMAZING! It is more than three HUGE hangars of the history of aviation with a TON of planes to see. My aviator, DS 3, and his brother who is following in his brother's footsteps, was in heaven! I took over a hundred pictures that I'm sure we'll share in some form or another.

We left Dayton and headed south to Kentucky. I wanted to get to Lexington and stay for the night. Lexington, it turns out, didn't have many hotel rooms that would suit us...so we started looking for another option. I told DS 3 to start looking for a sign for the hotel chain we usually use. Almost immediately a sign appeared in a field saying there was one at a near-by exit. We joked that this must be our sign. It was a message that we didn't have to drive any further.

I went into the hotel prepared to "get my room". After all, I saw the sign, right? The hotel was completely sold out! As was every hotel at that exit! I have no idea what that many people were doing in that little tiny blue grass town, but we packed our tired bodies back in the car and continued on down the road.

It was pressing in on 10:30 and I asked DS 3 to call the hotel chain back to confirm the room that was the "next one south of where we were". With that call, there was a reservation and a promise that we would be at our destination within 25 miles. I figured that we would be in the room by 11:00.

My thoughts went something like this: "In by 11:00. Check email. Maybe check blogs. Get a good night's sleep and be ready to go in the morning for a leisurely drive to Atlanta to see Jane."

And mid-thought, two police officers with lights blazing appeared in my rear view mirror. I checked my speed. Why is it that we naturally do this even when we DO drive the speed limit?? Anyway, they whizzed past us followed by an ambulance. And almost simultaneously, the traffic on the Interstate came to a full and complete stop. People were eventually out of their cars...lights off...radios on....It didn't take us long to figure out that we were at the scene of a terrible accident.

We sat there until just after 11:00 when we finally were able to get around it. DS 3 and I discussed "our" sign a bit further. Now I am not one to say that "God had us stop so we wouldn't be in an accident"...because I can't let my mind do the opposite thing and think that God would keep me from an accident while letting someone else get into one...BUT I DO know that if it weren't for the signs and us stopping, it could have been us in that tangled mess.

And I couldn't help but draw up a parallel lesson to remember:

Sometimes the sign is clear, isn't it? You know exactly the "what" and "why" of it. It's easy to follow. And other times, the purpose of a "sign" may not become clear until later on and it may be much deeper than originally thought. In fact, it may be in our lives for a totally different reason than we could begin to imagine.

Isn't it amazing that you can EVEN learn while driving down the highway??

By the way, since the "sign" on the nighstand reads 12:27am as I type this...I'm thinking it's one of those crystal clear signals that I need to stop typing and get to bed!!!

Captured in the Keys...

Here are our Keys photos. DH and I met our three younger boys and my cousin Lynn and her family Sunday afternoon. We had a great time. DH and DS 3 went SCUBA. DS 2 and his friend, K, enjoyed exploring and trying out some of the activities that the Keys has to offer. DS 1 even came down for a couple of days. It was so special for me to have all my family together for a few days away!

I know I'm a bit "behind" as we are now in Ohio and I'm only posting last week's photos...but better late than never, right??

Here are a few photos for you to enjoy:

They're WALKIN' the Floor OVER me...

When we returned to our hotel last night, all was quiet upstairs...no floor walking. It was nice. The boys and I turned off the lights around 11:30 and all was still quiet. I whispered a prayer of thanks.

At 1:00am, however, I was jarred awake by footsteps. LOUD footsteps. And the "Walker" walked until 2:15am. Guinevere suggested in my last post that perhaps there is a crying baby...but since I can hear the toilet flush up there and the TV if it's too loud, I am assuming I'd hear a crying baby.

It's not "normal" walking really. It kind of goes like this: THUD..thud/thud...creak/creak/creak/creak...{silence for a few moments}....THUD..thud/thud....thud/thud....creak/creak/creak/creak/creak....thud/thud....{silence}

There is no rhyme nor reason to it. No pattern. I found myself sitting in bed and "drawing" those dashed lines that you see in cartoons when a character has walked all over. I could picture the path...by the noise...but I can't for the life of me figure out the WHY of it all...

Oh well...we have another day of visits and exploring ahead of us...and, who knows what paths might be forged during the night????

Music and Movies on the Road...

We had a quiet day today, and just enjoyed tooling around this small Ohio town. The kids have some spots that they like to see, so we did that.

When DH and I were on our cruise, DSs 2 and 3 went to a youth retreat over in Daytona Beach. They heard a new Christian group called Leeland. DS 3 really liked them and was sorry he didn't get their album.
I found it in the Christian Bookstore today and bought it for him. It really is pretty good. I told him I might have to go buy a second one so that he has one and I can keep one in the car!

This afternoon, we met my Aunt, my Stepmother, and my Grandmother to go to a neighboring town to take my Aunt to the movies. My cousin, Lynn, met us there also. Her three kids and my two went to see the new Harry Potter movie.

We went to see Hairspray. It didn't get great reviews,
but I have to say I loved it! I thought John Travolta was so funny as the Mother. And the music left me tapping my feet and also wishing that I owned THAT CD as well...

So...I guess you COULD say we've had a melodious Monday! As always it's good visiting with family and just enjoying each other. Sometimes actually "doing" something together is also fun.

I hope to update again very soon.

They went out walkin' after midnight....

The boys and I arrived in Ohio yesterday afternoon. We checked into our hotel and went out to visit my Aunt/Uncle, Grandma, Dad and StepMom. We had a wonderful visit as we got to meet my cousin's first grandson. He's absolutely adorable. I have to say I love borrowing them then giving them back!!

We returned to our hotel at 10ish. We are on the second floor of a three story hotel. Whoever is in the room above us seems to be pacing the floor! They weren't just pacing while they got dressed...nope...they paced until 12:40 when I FINALLY had enough and called the front desk. Is it too much to ask that whoever is up there does their walking and then STOPS at a reasonable hour?? I don't think so. I mean it should NOT take over 2 hours to get ready for bed and SIT or LAY down!

The lady at the front desk kind of chuckled when I told her just how long it had been happening and that it was beyond "normal" walking. She said she'd call. And she must have because it did indeed stop within minutes after my phone call.

But, here I sit at 9:24 and they are at it again! They have been at it since 9:00 and it is absolutely CONSTANT. Inquiring minds want to know "WHAT are they doing up there?" On second thought, maybe I DON'T want to know!

It will be interesting to see if it continues tonight.

In the meantime, my feet are going to do some walking to breakfast and my car so that we can get going.

Book Reviews: Reading On the Go...

I have had the pleasure of finishing two more books from my ever-increasing pile. I love reading Karen Kingsbury. Her books are relatively easy to read, but also provoke images and thinking as I find myself connecting with her characters.

Time to Dances the story of John and Abby Reynolds who decide to split up after 21 They call a family meeting to tell their three children about their impending divorce, but their oldest daughter surprises them with the announcement that she is getting married. John and Abby agree to protect their children and wait to tell them of their decision to separate. According to the editor's summary:

What begins as a brief postponement becomes a resuscitation of love, in this charming spiritual novel.

I found this novel easy to read, but also a very real reminder that all of us are susceptible to the things that can (and often do) strain a marriage: busy-ness, choosing not to focus on our spouse and/or our marriage, and forgetting the things that brought a couple together to begin with.


Kingsbury's second novel in this series, A Time to Embrace, became a "must read" for me to follow-up on John and Abby's story. The story opens with the Reynolds' enjoying their reconciliation. But John's career as a football coach is put to the test when he starts receiving letters from angry parents. Parents are trying to have John removed from the job. He is in a car accident caused by one of his players and suffers severe damage. The story moves rather quickly and includes new plots and twists with Abby and John and their Children.

I enjoyed both books. I think they are a great choice for "quick reads" in the Christian Fiction genre.

Now, I'm on to the Poisonwood Bible...

Happy Reading!!

On the Road Again...

DSs 3 and 4 and I left this morning at 6:20am and made it to Corbin, KY. We actually could have gone longer, but we were hungry and the boys wanted to settle in for the night. Plus I like to get into a hotel before dark when we are alone.

DH bought the boys a special plug for the computers, so my computer geeks children were quite happy and content while riding today. That DH of mine is SO SMART!

I love riding and listening to my music. I am being bombarded everywhere I turn though...I keep praying about my "Holy Discontent"...and more than once today I felt like I got "sucker punched" from a song playing on my radio. I promise I'm going to consolidate all my thinking along this line and blog about it soon.

Tomorrow, we'll go on to Ohio. I'm anxious to spend some time with my Grandmother and extended family.

I am so excited because I think I'm going to be able to meet Jane over at Cozy Reader on Saturday. I love meeting my blogging friends. I've been blessed to meet two of you this summer and two last fall.

And now, before I crash on my computer...I have to get some shut-eye!

Just Passin' Through...

I was so happy to get to visit some of your blogs last night. Suffice it to say that I have missed visiting. I know that I am blessed as I LOVE reading your comments!!

We had a fantastic time on our cruise...as I know I've said 100 times. It was such an eye opener, though, seeing the poverty that defines so much of our world. I don't think it was an accident that I read Holy Discontent before I left. And even though we were traveling in what many would consider "luxury"...we caught glimpses of need that cut to the core.

One of the most poignant reminders was on our visit to the Costa Rican Rainforest and the Banana Processing Plant there. Here are pictures from all three ports of call. While I didn't catch as many of the children---the pictures DO reflect the socio-economic status of so many of the people who live in these places.

I hope to post more "fun" pictures later on...in the meantime, here's a glimpse for you:



DSs 3 and 4 and I leave early in the morning for Ohio to visit with my Grandmother and our Aunts/Uncles and Cousins in the North. Pray for traveling mercies. Until next time...

First Photos

These are the only photos I can get uploaded right now. It seems that they are still too large. I'm trying to make them smaller.

Enjoy the first taste of cruising!! We are now in the Keys and enjoying a week of SCUBA (OK DH and DS 3 are). The rest of us are going to go snorkel and jet ski.

We WON!

Guess what??? We got the best Anniversary Present here on our cruise....DH won a FREE cruise for two up to seven days anywhere that Carnival goes! Can't go into details now cause I am on WAY limited minutes.

HUGS everyone!!

Colon, Panama

Today we were able to see the Panama Canal Locks here in Colon. It was absolutely incredible. The "average" container ship going through the canal pays between $100,000 and $200,000 for ONE passage! ONE! Can you imagine?

We then went to downtown Panama and got to see the Pacific Ocean side. We also got to tour a church that has an altar that is from 1675. It's one of the only things that "made it" through the attack of the famous pirate Henry Morgan (of course I've not heard of him...but what do I know?).

Unfortunately we didn't get to shop here. Our tour was a bit late coming back to port and had to cut out the shopping. We set sail again very soon and head back to Ft. Lauderdale. We'll have two "fun days" at sea before we dock on Sunday.

I truly can't wait to show all the pictures. Some of the children simply broke my heart. It's a reminder of just how much we all have. If anyone who is reading this is longing for more of anything...I want to encourage you to stop and say "thank you", because the truth of the matter is most of us are far wealthier than we realize. Usually, this is not the purpose of a cruise...but it's hard to ignore.

DH and I are having a marvelous time. We've met some interesting people. It's been a blessing to have this time together.

Thank you for your prayers and well-wishes. Truly I've only spent about 5 minutes at a time blogging....it's not as much as it may look.

Hugs to all.

This post started last night and continued tonight

From Last Night (Tuesday):

If the boat’s a rockin’….

You MIGHT get SEA SICK!

When my brother got married, an entire entourage of our family accompanied them on their honeymoon cruise. Believe me, they ASKED us to go before-hand…but that’s another story. Anyway, our first night at sea, the wind was really bad and (come to find out later) the stabilizers on the ship weren’t working.

When the stabilizers aren’t working, it’s akin to being on one of those “Deadliest Catch” ships. Maybe not QUITE that bad, but close…REALLY close. People were pretty much getting sick anywhere and everywhere. It was NOT a pretty sight. There were sea sickness bags all over the ship “just in case”.

Now you may be asking, “Why are you telling us about a cruise you took in the past?” Well, perhaps it’s because I’m sitting in my cabin right now having some flashbacks. No, we are not lurching from side to side where you actually could fall (like we did that time a few years ago). But we are no longer “gently floating” through the Caribbean Sea, either!

I learned though after I had to go to the Infirmary to get a phenagren (sp?) shot last time when I DID get sea sick. So, this time, I came prepared. I brought my Dramamine to take as precaution. I took it the first night out. And just now, after watching the room stewards sticking sea sickness bags in conspicuous spots all over the ship, I took pill #2 and whispered a prayer that I would never feel the kind of sickness I did that first time.

From Detox to Sea Sickness…aren’t you glad I’m filling you in on some of the finer points of cruising??

{From Today: Wednesday}

We spent the day in the Costa Rican Rain Forest. It was absolutely amazing! I find myself so moved by the people who live in these places. Their lives are so very different than ours. Of course, the children can reduce me to tears pretty fast.

Our trip today included the flora and fauna that goes with the Rainforest via bus, boat and train. It also included….RAIN (duh, right?). This tour ended with a trip to a banana plantation and the packing plant. Let me just say there is NOTHING electronic in this place except ONE conveyor belt that takes rejected bananas up to a guy who throws them on a big truck. Everything is done by people. They were packing for Dole. There is absolutely no way I can put into words what this entailed. I took detailed pictures and will share it when I return.

We came back to the ship tonight and I am absolutely zonked! We set sail for Panama and a trip through Panama City and the Canal tomorrow.

That’s all the update I have, mates. I’m going to bed!

By the way, we aren’t rocking as much tonight…but I DID take my Dramamine “just in case”.

Detox Anyone??

OK, so after the Mayan Ruins yesterday, I got to go for my Detox consultation. This included a BMI reading and consultation with a trainer. For this part, he didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know. My BMI is high. It needs to come down. DUH! He was, however, very kind. He drew me little pictures to talk about the importance of eating organic…and balanced. Still, really not any new information. I found myself sitting there and wondering WHEN it was going to be over. But, then he pulled out the “support pieces”…three pieces of paper.

Page 1: You, too, can own your very own Detox Drops for only $61 a bottle. That will last you a whopping five weeks.

Page 2: You can also own your Detox Bath, to be taken at least twice a week for 30 minutes to soak those awful toxins away from your skin. It’s a “deal” at $176 for 5 week supply.

Page 3: You must get the Detox Skin Brush to be used every shower. Here is the “kicker”…it is $44 for a total of two years (can you say “BARGAIN??”)

Then, this nice young man looks at me with a big grin and starts doing the math and totaling up the total for 6 months supply and we are somewhere over $700! In my head, I’m thinking “Don’t let your eyes bug out of your head.” HERE’S the kicker, though:

IF I bought the six months supply, then I get a FREE list of “good food to eat” valued at $85! I’m quite sure I could Google this for FREE without buying Detox!

If I signed up while on the cruise, I’ll stay “hooked up” with the Spa via email and have a support group online.

Yeah, yeah, yeah…

On to the Alpha Capsule….

The close of my session was 30 minutes in an Alpha Capsule. I lay in this giant capsule in the middle of the spa (think treadmills, elliptical machines, and all those people weight lifting), and I’m told to “Relax!” WHAT??? RELAX??? You’ve just told me my BMI’s too high. I am full of toxins. My colon needs to work better (I know, TMI). I should spend a BUNCH of money to be on the road to better health for the next six months.

I TRIED to give myself to the experience. I tried to relax. I listened to the pretty music through some earphones. But the vibration was a bit high and my teeth were rattling. “Relax….enjoy the experience…you’re supposed to feel like you get three hours of sleep in only 25 minutes…you can do it….” And every time I opened my eyes, I was staring at the timer counting down my time in this giant contraption. Pretty soon, my legs felt like they were being stretched from my body and the vibrations seemed to make my colon want to work.

I held myself together until the final minute, when the countdown window flashes this message, “Thank you for using the Alpha Capsule. You may lift the lid and exit now.” No one told me HOW to lift the lid…and not wanting to look like a total dork in front of all those exercising…I gave it one big PUSH from the inside. I am pretty sure it could have flown out the front window and into the Caribbean Sea.

Ever so quietly, I snuck out of the Spa hoping I would not have to say “no” to my $700 offer another time….

Besides, I really had to go “Detox” my colon and kidneys---for FREE!

I’ll check in from Costa Maya tomorrow! Hugs to all!

Suitcase Stories

Buenos Dias from Costa Maya, Mexico!

Our ship docked here this morning at 8:00am when DH and I headed out on a tour of the Chacchoben (pronounced “Chock-cho-ben”) Mayan Ruins. I wish I could share pictures with you as they were quite impressive. I promise I’ll share pictures when I return.

We have had a great time! If you’ve cruised before, then you know that the food is plentiful! If not…suffice it to say, it’s a bit over the top! Last night was the Captains reception and dinner. It’s a more formal night. DH had FOUR lobster tails! He doesn’t eat dessert, so he enjoys more entrees, you know? Actually, one of our dinner “neighbors” said, “I don’t want them to make any money on me!” I enjoyed ONE lobster tail and the Warm Melted Chocolate Cake. It was absolutely divine!

Now, I’m off to my “Detox Session”…I suppose they’ll tell me no more warm chocolate cake….but I’m pretty sure I can start that when I get off this ship.

Tonight is a Deck Party and a Mexican Buffet at midnight. I don’t know if I’ll be doing any midnight eating, but the music and dancing is great fun!

We set sail for Costa Rica this evening. I’ll check in again once I get there. Until next time, Adios Amigos y Amigas!!

Cruisin' Day 1

AHOY there from the middle of the Caribbean Sea! We’re on our way to Costa Maya, Mexico for a day at the Mayan Ruins.

We boarded the ship yesterday after a little wrong turn on the way to the port. Since we booked this a little late, and because the ticket agent misspelled our last name, our city, and our road, we didn’t have “real” tickets or luggage tags. So, we decided we would carry our luggage on board. There’s no limit to the “length” of a piece of luggage…only the height and width. Suffice it to say, our luggage isn’t small…OK, MINE especially. I mean I am going to be gone for 3 more weeks! I need options, you know?

But I digress. Checking in was relatively easy, except the lady made me unpack my small suitcase because she thought I had wine in it! It was, instead, my PURPLE shampoo and conditioner bottles! Believe me, after getting lost and lugging luggage, I WISHED it were wine, too!

DH and I enjoyed lunch on the Lido Deck and waited for the Muster Drill. This is the lifeboat drill that all ships must have because of the Titanic disaster. There are 3500 passengers and 1200 crew on this ship…that’s a lot of people migrating to one or two floors to stand by their lifeboats.

We caught a glimpse of all the luggage that people checked waiting to be delivered to their owners. I was kind of glad at that point, that mine wasn’t IN that pile! The Cruise Director said there were over 6000 pieces to be taken to cruisers in the matter of a few hours.

Last night we had a lovely dinner in our dining room. Then we went to get our free piece of art from the art auction, guess the price of the Picasso (I HOPE we DON’T win…that thing is just not my cup o’ tea) and then we went to the Spa for the free raffles up there.

How THRILLED I was when DH won first. He “won” a free Detox Session and alpha relaxation capsule. Now the Alpha Relaxation sounds wonderful…supposedly in a 25 minute session, you feel like you got three hours of sleep. Although I don’t know if I’m going to be able to relax after someone tells me what my BMI is…just how many calories I need to be burning a day and gives me the health advice I “need”. I have an appointment right before our 5 course meal tomorrow. Hey, it’s FREE advice right!?!?!?

Last night we went to a Welcome Aboard Show and enjoyed the balcony in our stateroom. I must have been exhausted (or the Dramamine kicked in) because I fell asleep with my watch on and don’t even remember my head hitting the pillow.

Now, we’re off to a “Fun Day at Sea”. There are Art Auctions, Music, Bingo, and Country Line Dancing. Not to mention the food (hey, the Detox session isn’t till tomorrow, right?) and relaxation!

{Note: If I don't get around to your blogs, it's because we only have limited minutes. I had hoped to upload pictures, but that, too, is going very slow. So, you'll have to live through my words and I'll share photos when I can.}

Stop #1 on our tour...

Homosassa Florida!

Here are the pictures from scalloping. For a picture of Danielle and me, head over to her post, It's All About Relationships where she so graciously cropped our picture! My picture of us is on my stepmother's camera. I'll have it later when she uploads her photos.

Well, Bless My Soul!

Just before I left on my Suitcase Story Tour, I ran across two posts that honored my blog with a Reflective Blogger Award. Linda over at 2nd Cup of Coffee and Sandy over at Flip Flop Floozie, both bloggers that I respect as reflective bloggers, nominated me. To say I was touched would be an understatement.

Thank you both for such sweet words about my blog.

I want to recognize the originator, a teenaged girl enthralled with Lord of the Rings. You can meet her here.Here are her stipulations for granting the award:

As for my award, it is called The Blogger Reflection Award. Why? The reason for the title is because this award should make you reflect on five bloggers who have been an encouragement, a source of love, impacted you in some way, and have been a Godly example to you. Five Bloggers who when you reflect on them you get a sense of pride and joy... of knowing them and being blessed by them. This award is for the best-of-the-best so consider who you pick, carefully. This award should not be given to just anyone. If you're going to do the award don't just write a few words and slap it on your blog. Write real thoughts about these bloggers and what they've been to you, and if the bloggers you pick have already been given the award, don't be afraid to give to them again. They deserve it as many times as it's given.

So, without further ado, here are my five honorees:

My first nomination needs to go to KT at The KT Chronicles. She is one of the bloggers that I have known the longest. She has had a very busy year as she lost both her Grandmother and her Mother. Through those trials, though, she has constantly been a witness to God's neverending love. She never fails to share her heart, her family, and her love for life through her writing.

My next nomination goes to Jane at Cozy Reader. She has such a heart for sharing Christ with the world. Her blog inspires me each and everytime I read it as she shares her family, her thoughts on world events, the books she's read, and her travels. It's a real blessing.

My third nominee is Heather at Red-Headed Rants and Rambles. Heather has shared her journey, fight, and victory over that awful disease, cancer this year. And she continues to share her heart when she posts. Even before that, though, Heather (who introduced me to the blogging world) was unafraid to share her thoughts, her heart, and her world with the rest of us. Thank you, Heather!

My fourth nomination goes to Mary at Crankin' Out the Hits. Mary is one of my "oldest" (or longest) blogging friends. We met via a Christian website for women and have followed each other on our journeys. She is currently sharing her heart as she works through the challenge to honor her Husband. It is refreshing to see someone who hungers so much to be a child after God's own heart.

My final nomination goes to Jill at Who Could Ask for Anything More? She is an amazing blogger who inspires you and makes you laugh over and over again. I love visiting her place and hearing about all the "fun" that goes on in her family. She is definitely an inspiration as a Mom, a Stepmom, and a Christian woman. And she blesses me beyond measure.

There are so many other people I could nominate for this award. Many of you have already received it. Just know that if your name is on my blogroll, it's not happenstance. It's purposeful. It's because each and everytime I visit your little spots on the web, I am inspired, humored, and challenged. Thank you for that.

As usual, my blogging friends have totally motivated me! Saturday I posted about the fact that I'd be living out of a suitcase for the better part of the next four weeks. My blogging friend Jill suggested that I should do a series on living out of a suitcase for four weeks. I thought, "THAT'S a GREAT idea!" I headed out to make the graphic and here we are.

I've been living out of a suitcase for three nights now. I DO get to go home from the river tomorrow night, wash clothes, and repack for our bon voyage on Saturday.

I'll post "scalloping pictures" Thursday or Friday night when I can upload. Probably the most exciting thing about our suitcase travels so far is that I got to actually meet my blogging friend, Danielle. She is worth so much more than this short little "blip" while I sit in a hotel room. I'll blog more about our visit later. Suffice it to say that I was, once again, blessed by meeting a blogging friend.

We had a great time scalloping today. I think we actually got about 5 gallons of scallops which wasn't bad since the weather was a bit "iffy" and last year we got pretty much zero. I don't know if we'll get out again tomorrow or not. We had a great time. Got some sun...AGH. AND are now holed up in a local hotel so the rest of our family has places to sleep tonight.

Sooooo...back to my suitcase tour...I'll be checking in...I don't know how often...but watch this space for tales from the road!

Book Review: Holy Discontent

Three weeks ago, I received an email from a person at Zondervan books asking if I'd be willing to review one or both of two new books on my blog. At first, I thought it was "junk mail", but as I read the descriptions of the books, I thought, "I might as well. I'm on a reading frenzy anyway this summer." So I sent the email that said I agreed to review BOTH books. I forgot about the email and went about my Summer busy-ness.

On Saturday, the books arrived in the mail. I looked them over and found myself thankful that they both looked kind of short so that I could read them before we leave on our cruise. As you can see from the previous post, though, I was going to finish Life of Pi first.

Sunday came and we went to church. The Pastor started a new series called, Unlikely Heroes. He started talking about this whole idea of "Holy Discontent" and cited the book several times. I found myself wondering if it were just a coincidence that I received the book the day before this series kicked off??? He talked about the fact that each of us has the opportunity to be a hero in someone else's life...even in simple ways.

I was stirred up as I left the service yesterday. Iwas bugged by some things that took place after the Pastor spoke...people who stood to speak and though under the auspices of "glorifying God" seemed to be "glorifying self". I was bugged by the fact that we have a mix of people....Socio-economic status wise and that sometimes this can be a stumbling block for people who are from a different background. I was bothered by the fact that the service went long and I wondered if I could bring my "unchurched" friends to such a place and expect them to accept it. To say the least, I was a bit cranky.

Even though I was bugged by some of the "extra" events, the Pastor's words kept ringing in my mind: We have to find that place of Holy Discontent and ACT on it! I came home and started Bill Hybels' book, Holy Discontent almost immediately after I finished reading Pi.

Basically, Hybels asserts that it's when we have what he calls a "Popeye Moment" when we find ourselves saying, "Thats all I can stands and I can't stands no more!" that we are in that state of Holy Discontent. It's at the point when we are so bugged, so enraged, so passionate about something that we are ready to pop open our own can of holy spinach and take action. Hybels calls this "the thing that wrecks you and also wrecks God so that He can sign you up for service."

He describes very famous people who have had this type of discontent: Moses, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, and Bono. All people that I see "far out of MY league"! But he also describes the holy discontent of people who were relative "unknowns"--normal people like you and me. Hybels asserts that when we know what our holy discontent is that it's this one thing that will...

move you off of dead center, get you off the couch, and thrust you into the game, where it's fight, fight, fight until some progress starts to show up! What's more, once you say yes to serving God's agenda in the world, he then begins the process of channeling the holy-discontent frustration into a postive vision that propels you into a future charged with energy and purpose.

I found myself reading with a fervor, hoping that somewhere in these pages, I'd find "Susan's Holy Discontent". I didn't. My problem is that I get insensed by many of the "big" things I see happening in our world poverty, hunger, injustice, violence, etc. And the truth is, that because I feel "called" into education and teaching in a school that serves children of poverty, I feel like, in some ways, I live out my Holy Discontent daily.

I also found myself reflecting on people I know who are obviously in touch with their own Holy Discontent: Jane at Cozy Reader and her husband who have a heart for starting (and have started) a seminary and ministries in Venezuela, my DSs 1 & 2 who have both told me they'd like to go back to Belize, a man in our church who flies supplies to third world countries, the ministry in our church that provides clothes to the homeless and hurting, my very good college friend who is working for Wycliffe Bible Translation etc. etc. etc.

But I also know there's more for ME to do. And so I was glad when the author addressed people who are in the place I am...trying to find my "IT" for this season in my life. This quote at the end of the book summarized my current position:

Are you willing for God to lead you in the endeavor of figuring out what it is that you cannot stand--what wrecks you from the inside out? Don't
forget that there's a reason why you grew up the way you did. Why you've
experienced what you have. Why you've traveled where you've been.
And He is looking for someone just like you to start setting some
things right in this world.

I believe it's when we find our God-given/God-inspired passion and seek after it with zeal and purpose, that we will make a difference in this world. I, for one, can't wait to see what the next chapter holds!

For me, this book was a powerful read. I actually found myself wondering if I could "get" my kids and my friends to read it. It's time that we stop being complacent and waiting for others to be making a difference in the world. Even if it's our "little world" in which we live, and work, and play. We can make a difference NOW right where we are! We just have to WANT IT.

May we ALL find our place of Holy Discontent then ACT upon it!

For another perspective on this topic, and review of this book, go visit Lauren's Post at Baseballs and Bows.

Book Review: Life of Pi

A few weeks ago, I reviewed Memoirs of a Geisha. My DS 1's GF left me a comment on that post that, in part said the following:

I loved Memoirs of a Geisha! I know that you probably don't need any more books to read, but these 2 have really impacted me. Life of Pi by Yann Martel is my #1 favorite book... it's about an Indian boy who gets shipwrecked in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger for company. But, it's about much more than that- in fact in the prologue, the author insinuates it will make you believe in God. I could go on and on but I'll stop and just say that you should read it.

She went on to suggest I read The Poisonwood Bible, which I want to read. I started, however, with her "#1 FAVORITE book" The Life of Pi. I admit, this did not become my #1 favorite book. In fact, I found myself rereading at parts just to try and keep up. There were moments when I did find myself turning pages in anxious anticipation of the next story event.

There seems to me to be two stories in this book. There's the surface story about an Indian boy who gets lost at sea with a Bengal tiger. This is the story of his miraculous survival which is preceded in the book by the story of just "WHO" he was (and is). I found myself thinking about the movie Castaway quite a bit as I read. The only difference is that Pi Patel was stuck in a little lifeboat ("floating island") in the sea while Tom Hanks was left to survive alone on a real island.

Then, there is a secondary story. It's one of faith development. It's the story of a collision of many different faiths, but one God. It's outside the "box" of Christianity, I know. I wonder, though, just how many "Pi Patels" are out there walking around in our world. They've had religious experiences, lots of them, and thus, they have different lenses through which they view the word and therefore, God.

My favorite part of this story is when Pi Patel finds himself wrestling with Christianity as a Hindu (he would later learn the Muslim faith as well). Pi is bothered because as he puts it:

It was wrong of this Christian God to let his avatar die. That is tantamount to letting part of Himself die...Why would God wish that upon Himself? Why not leave death to the mortals? Why make dirty what is beautiful, spoil what is perfect?

And the priest who is listening to the wonder and the questions replies with one word: LOVE.

I suppose that LOVE is what is at the core of this entire story. It's love that casts out fear. It's love that helps us to overcome adversity. It's love that makes us press on and survive in the face of incredible danger.

I read some of the reviews online. You can find some here. I loved one reviewers perspective on Pi Patel's "faith journey".

As he enters his teen years, Pi goes in search of God. His parents weren't pious people, but growing up in India, Pi was initially a Hindu. When he first encounters Christianity, he finds Jesus lacking in comparison to the Hindu gods, who are grand in stature and history. He comes to embrace Christianity's message of love. Then he discovers Islam, "a beautiful religion of brotherhood and devotion."

Pi becomes a devout member of all three religions, content in his newfound sense of God. Once the priest, the pandit, and the imam discover his activities with each other's churches, they confront Pi and his parents and tell him he can't belong to all three and must choose one. The fractious arguing among the three religious leaders over which religion he should choose is the funniest part of the novel. Yann Martel makes them all look simplistic and spiteful as they belittle each other's faith. Pi puts them all in their place with the declaration that he was just trying to love God. His older brother, Ravi, provides a different perspective on it all, suggesting he might try to become a Jew too. "At the rate you're going, if you go to temple on Thursday, mosque on Friday, synagogue on Saturday and church on Sunday, you only need to convert to three more religions to be on holiday for the rest of your life."

No, Leah, it's not my #1 all time favorite...but like any good book it caused me to think and to reflect on my world, my beliefs, other cultures, and the human spirit. And, that, in my opinion makes it a read that is "well worth it!" Thank you for sharing it with me! And yes, The Poisonwood Bible is on my list!

Happy Reading!!