Simmy's Place

Fresh Start

2010-11-21T17:54:00.000-05:00

OK, so the end of the year is almost upon us. A new year, symbolizes a fresh start for many people. I’m of the opinion that you do not have to wait till the end of anything but the day for a fresh start. Being a lover of movies and literature, I’ll use a quote from one of my favorite family films “Anne of Green Gables”, “tomorrow is fresh with no mistakes in it.” So, today is my fresh start for my blog.

In the past, I’ve posted long novel posts with photos etc… I’m guilty of putting a lot of pressure on myself to create the perfect post which has a beginning, middle and end. Well, that’s writing and publishing at it’s best…and I’ll continue to try and achieve that, but since I’ve tagged this as also my doodles…well, you’re at the mercy of the ramblings in my mind. I hope you enjoy it and as always, I’ll try to make it entertaining!

Edge Nail Demo in Three Parts

2010-09-28T13:05:00.001-04:00

I’ve never really talked about this on my Blog. But I’m a Nail Technician. Now, I know what you are thinking, gum popping, shallow bubble head women. Or maybe perhaps the more racially motivated “discount” salon image.

I’m a different breed. I’ve been in the nail business since 1987 and I have to tell you there is a lot more to doing nails than meets the eye. I’ll share more about that later. I’ve progressed from being a nail tech, to an educator for the industry. I’m what you’d call an “independent” or “Non-Product Specific” educator meaning my classes are more about technique than pushing a product. That being said, I do sell products but I don’t push them. I’ve found that people want to buy what they see you using so why not have them available for sale. But I do work with a Variety of different products so I’m not stuck selling just one brand.

OK, so you’ve got a little background on WHAT I do for a living. I’m going to be posting a series of “How To” videos for my students to access. This will show you HOW I do WHAT I do. At least in part.

Below are three videos demonstrating HOW TO create the latest nail shape called an EDGE NAIL. It’s not a shape for EVERYONE but it’s pretty cool and creative. It is done by Greg Salo of Young Nails, he’s a really giving and fun educator! Enjoy if you are so inclined…

Creating The Edge Nail, Part 1

Creating The Edge Nail, Part 2

Creating The Edge Nail, Part 3

Buttermilk Crumb Muffins

2010-02-27T21:40:00.000-05:00

No translation needed!!!!

This is my first “Baking with Julia” recreation. I made it for breakfast on a Saturday Morning and they were a hit!

This recipe was in the episode of “Baking with Julia” with cooking teacher and author of "The New Fanny Farmer Cookbook" Marion Cunningham. She shows Julia Child how to make a series of easy and delicious quick breads, an American bakery staple. She makes moist buttermilk crumb muffins from a hundred year-old recipe that are good enough to eat on their own. Then she bakes scones, half done in the traditional shape, half made in a roll-up style, served with butter, whipped cream and raspberries. Finally, she creates unbelievably easy- to-make Irish soda bread, and fluffy popovers served with a drizzling of honey.

This recipe made me revisit a project I started a few years ago. I started making Recipe cards out of old family recipes. I decided to make cards for the new recipes I’ve been making. So this was the result:

Side one -

Side two -

What do you think? Does it look professional?

coming soon…POPOVERS!

Escalopes De Veau A La Crème

2010-02-03T20:44:00.000-05:00

Rough English Translation: Sautéed Veal Scallops with Mushrooms and Cream. The sides are Risotto and French Style Green Beans.

Who doesn’t love mushrooms and cream sauce? This is not your American Variety dish made with Cream of Mushroom Soup from a can! I must stay this dish was extremely delicious. It was the first time that I made Risotto. If you are not familiar with “Risotto”, no need to feel inferior. Until a couple of years ago, I didn’t have the faintest idea what “Risotto” was. The common question is what is it, rice or pasta? The answer is RICE. The name “Risotto” is the finished dish not the rice itself. The common rice used is called “Arborio” which is the rice frequently used to make rice pudding. However, my research (yes I researched it being the geek that I am) showed that Europeans also are known to use Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice.

Making Risotto is a long painful process and can very easily become a congealed lump of starch! So find a good technique and follow the direction EXACTLY! Mom had a box of “Risotto” in the house and the directions were on the box. But you can use “Arborio” rice and find a reliable recipe online.

The Veal Dish Contains:

veal scallops, mushrooms, butter, shallots, dry white wine (I used Chardonnay) but you can also use dry white vermouth or Madeira, beef bouillon, whipping cream, cornstarch and salt & pepper.

“Mastering the Art of French Cooking”

Escalopes De Veau A La Crème (Sautéed Veal Scallops with Mushroom and Cream – pg. 366

Pretty quick recipe. A nice treat during the week or a quick meal to make for company. They’ll think you spent all day making it!

Gateau Fourre' a' la Crème au Bearer a' l'Orange

2010-02-02T20:21:00.000-05:00

Roughly translated in English: Orange sponge cake iced with Orange Butter cream Icing and filled with Orange-Butter Filling.

This FANTASTIC cake I actually made on Christmas Eve this past December. Why Christmas Eve? Probably due to boredom and the fact that Mom shelled out $42.95 for a copy of “Mastering the Art of French Cooking”.

Little did I know that this cake would start a landslide of decadent cooking and baking that would pull me out of a deep, dark, depression!

“Mastering the Art of French Cooking”

Gateau A L’Orange (Orange Sponge Cake) pg. 671

Gateau Fourre a la Crème d’Orange (Orange-Butter Filling) pg. 672

Crème au Beurre a l’Orange (Orange Butter-Cream Icing) pg. 674

Despite it’s rich sounding name, this cake is very light and fluffy and only contains 3/4 of a cup of cake flour. I highly recommend setting aside a few hours for making this cake. It’s labor intensive and time consuming but well worth it!

Inspired by “Julie & Julia”

2010-02-01T20:09:00.000-05:00

OK, so maybe I’m a bored housewife. Maybe I’m a desperate caretaker who is having a mid-life crisis. Or maybe I’ve fallen in love with cooking, GOOD cooking and scrummy food!

I think if you talk with any woman in their 40’s who finds a new passion and sit her down and make her watch the movie “Julie & Julia”, she will find similarities between her and Julia Child. No, not every woman turns a past time to help with housewife boredom into a midlife career or changes home cooking forever. But this delightful film certainly romanticizes an ideal that most of us would like to see come true. I think that Julia Child would be pleased with the resurgence of her “French Cooking” techniques and the inspiration it has given to a whole new generation of home cooks. Both men and women.

I remember watching Julia Child with my mom in the kitchen when I was a little girl. I don’t remember much other than her warbly voice and the fact that she always seem to have a glass of wine at the ready. Little did I know that Julia would help me through a tough time while taking care of my sick mother.

Then there is the “parody” that Dan Aykroyd made famous on SNL on December 9, 1978. Classic!

Mom discovered two old shows of Julia that are now being aired in the middle of the night.

Both shows have corresponding cookbooks. I’ve been cooking and baking up a storm. I’m gaining weight and need to get some self control back, but my family is THRILLED with my new passion.

From time to time, I’ll be sharing some of the results with you. So stay tuned… and Bon Appétit!

Orlando Vacation Part Deux

2009-11-16T10:56:00.000-05:00

Day 3: Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Breakfast of Champions

A late night made it difficult to get up at the crack of dawn to greet the animals. But we managed! This is our first day at Disney in three years so we were ready to go! The morning started off with Pillsbury Orange Rolls (a delicacy we can’t get in NJ), scrambled eggs & cheese and coffee.

The Tree of Life...

My niece works at Epcot so we scored once more in getting into the parks. (Thank you Cynch, we could not have done this vacation so well without you!!) Here she is doing her best “Vanna White” impression…

One of the things you learn from going to Disney World repeatedly is to always look up…and down…you never know what you’ll see.

(Just in case you didn’t know which direction the park is in…)

White faced Tree Ducks

First stop: Whistling White Faced Tree Ducks. These guys sound like a rubber ducky when they speak! Unfortunately, we got there too late to hear the morning chatter but I did get a nice photo of them sleeping… click the link below if you want to hear them:

http://www.wikiaves.com/som.php?m=106276&tm=s

Flamingos

The Flamingo’s gave us a show. One of them was feeding what seemed to be their almost grown baby! If you are really fortunate, you can catch the male flamingos doing their mating march. The older males gather the group by squawking and turning their heads left to right. The rest of the males in the flock fall in and imitate them. When the group is finally in unison, they spread their wings and then march around. It’s amazing to watch! I love my “mingos”!

Expedition Everest

Animal Kingdom never disappoints. It’s not the type of place to go to if you are looking for thrill rides and fantasy. But for any animal lover it’s paradise! But speaking of thrill rides, there is one really good one there. It’s called Expedition Everest and it’s located in Asia. Waaaaay fun! My tip to get on quick is go get into the “single rider” line. You may not be able to sit with your friends, but you get on within 10 minutes when the line is over an hour long! Rich doesn’t “do” roller coasters, so I’m always a single rider when it is just the two of us. On this day, my niece Cynthia was with us so we rode together…on the same train anyway!

Africa

(That’s Rich and Cynthia standing under the street signs!)

“I am Rhino, here me roar!”

No trip to Animal Kingdom is complete without a ride on the Kilimanjaro Safari! Its great fun. Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to get great photos during the ride due to the bumpy nature of the roads. However, we did our best…

Look at the BABY HEFFALUMP!!!! Too cute!

I love how this giraffe is camuflaging in the trees!

After the Safari, there is a walking trail which gives you closer views of some of the animals. One of my favorites is the Okapi. It looks like a zebra mixed with a giraffe. It is the cousin of the giraffe. They are very shy animals...perhaps that’s why I love them so much!

Yak and Yeti

OK, so let’s talk food! It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 12 years since Animal Kingdom opened. One of the things that it seriously lacked when it opened is a good restaurant. Well, the wait was worth it! In 2007, the “Yak and Yeti” Restaurant opened it’s doors in the Asian section of the park. I’m a huge fan of Asian food, I love all aspects of each region. Wonton Soup was, what I thought for many years, a Chinese dish. Well, my horizons have been broadened in recent years. The Wonton Soup at the Yak and Yeti is by far, one of the best I’ve ever had. The noodles melt in your mouth and the crunchy noodles are the best I’ve ever had! This is just a small sampling of what you have in store should you dine there one day. Everything on the menu is great! BTW – my niece scored a job there due to our lunch that day. It turned out to be a great place to work as well!

AsiaAsia in Animal Kingdom has one of the most beautiful Tiger enclosures I’ve ever seen! And as you can see, it’s easy to get a great photo of these majestic creatures! It’s probably not a secret that cats (big and small) are my favorite animal. We stood and watched these guys for a while and the thing that always strikes me is how much these big cats act like my small kitties at home. I just want to rub their ears! We stayed long enough to see one hack up a hairball! Poor kitty!Glad I don’t have to clean up after them!

Next stop: Disney’s Hollywood Studios

I was there on opening day:

May 1, 1989

Mom and I used to sneak into the parking lot when they were building the park. Of course back then it was called “Disney’s MGM Studios” and we had high hopes for Orlando being the next “Hollywood”.

“The Studios” hold a very special place in my heart. I’m a frustrated performer, but my better judgment prevented me from getting into show business. So when the studios opened, I WAS STAR STRUCK!!!

This is also the place where Richard proposed to me. That’s a story for another time (with pictures).

There have been many changes since then, some good, some bad… but I’m hoping for good things. We didn’t have a lot of time to get to all of our favorite places, but here are a few of the highlights:

The great movie ride

Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke in “Mary Poppins”

John Wayne in “The Searchers”

Harrison Ford & John Rhys-Davies in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”

Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in “Casablanca”

“The Wizard of Oz”

“…follow the yellow brick road!”

“I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog too!”

“We’re off to see the Wizard…“

(Great shot eh? I LOVE my new camera!)

Campy but classic! It wouldn’t be Disney without Audio Animatronics!

Pixar studiosThey did a beautiful job converting part of the backlot to Pixar Studios. I hope there is more excitement in the works! But in the meantime, we have…

Toy Story Midway Mania! The line for this ride is incredibly long but worth it just for nostalgia sake.

Mr.. Potato Head is located in the queue. He interacts with the people queuing up for the ride and insults and teases them. Pretty cool!

The rest of the queue contains giant renditions of all the games we grew up with and a few our parents did. The time does go by fast and most of the time people interact with each other reminiscing about their childhood. Great fun!

As for the ride itself. Well, I was too busy “playing the game” to take photos, but if you want to see it along with the queue line, play this link from YouTube. Did I mention that the ride is in 3-D?????

I think I see a new wii game in my future…(Hint! Hint!) OK, we’ll wait till the price comes down!

The Backlot TourThere are rumors that the Backlot Tour may be going away. Although it will be no great loss to lose the “current” tour, I have to admit that I miss the original tour. Remember the “Golden Girls” house, seeing “Herbie the Love Bug” rev his engine and seeing tons of huge props including some from the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies? They even had cool costumes and you could see the costume department in full use. They’ve really destroyed the Backlot and used the land for dumb things but one can only hope for better things to come.

Originally the Studios were a working studio where they filmed things like “From the Earth to the Moon” and “The Mickey Mouse Club” (the show that gave us performers like Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. OK so those are not shining examples of good talent but you get my point…) Orlando just didn’t work out for Disney or Universal for that matter, but we do have parks like this one as a result.

I really miss the days of the super fireworks show at the end of the night. Vincent Price announcing the next spectacular display of fireworks supported by an emotional movie themes. A golden time period for this park. But for now, the only light spectacle to enjoy is the neon lights of Sunset Blvd. at night. At least we still have emotional Movie Soundtracks with it!

It’s times like this that I really miss living in Florida. Rich and I used to visit Disney a few times a month. Sometimes just to eat, other times to take pictures like these. Then there were the times we had company and we played tour guide. We would have made great tour guides for Disney. Perhaps if we get to retire someday… I just wish it wasn’t so darn hot in Florida! This was another great day!

Day 4: Epcot

Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Waiting for the perfect shot...

We found the perfect place to get the perfect photo and like a professional photographer who waits days and hours for a lion to walk by... we waited for the Monorail... we shoot, we SCORE!

The PERFECT SHOT!

So, like I mentioned before, my niece works at Epcot. She had some great coupons she had to redeem for food so we thought we’d help her out a little. Today, we dined at “The Coral Reef” Restaurant located within “The Living Seas” attraction.

Since Pixar joined the Disney family, they’ve been beefing up the existing attractions. “The Living Seas” is now with “Nemo and Friends”. Our favorite scavenging sea birds greet you as you approach…

Mine! Mine! Mine!

Great photo of the entrance, the restaurant is to the right. But I couldn’t resist trying to get a recording of our one “mine”ded friends…

The video below was shot with my new camera, not a video camera…

Lunch... OK, we did not have a “liquid” lunch but liquids were involved. I can never resist a “glowing” drink. Great table eh? That’s me and Cynthia enjoying our libations…

Here’s the video of my “Blinking Drink”...

Crème Brulee for dessert...

Cynthia left us after lunch but we stayed around to see what we could “sea”…

Marlon, Nemo and friends...

Question: How many fish do you see in the photo below?Answer: Four! (Rock Fish… they camouflage well!)

Next Stop: Spaceship Earth!

It’s been completely updated. The ending is kind of cool with new computer graphics that include...YOU!

That’s our heads on those cartoon bodies. They take your picture at the beginning of the ride. As you “descend” down the middle of the “globe” we call “Spaceship Earth”, you are treated to a cartoon “The Beginning of Your Future” starring… YOU!

I wish I looked that good in a space suit in real life! Come to think of it, I would be nice if they actually MADE spacesuits that made you look that good! LOL!

The whole thing is very “Jetson” like. When you walk out of the ride, you can see yourself on a huge screen and go to a kiosk and email your photo to your friends and family...and yourself. Great fun!

Hang Ten Dude!

Epcot was the place that Rich was originally going to propose to me. The plans didn’t work out that way, but we have a great story to tell our friends. It was going to be at sunset just when the torches were lit around the “World Showcase Lagoon”.

Next: A walk around the world to watch the sunset.

Rich gave me a quick lesson on photography “perspective”. The temple here in Mexico looks much taller thanks to the lesson he gave me. I took it from the side and low. It was hard to get a good shot because this spot is very popular at sunset. the photos below makes you see why… SUNSET!!!

I love this shot with Richard to the right taking a photo. I have to brag that my “sunset” photos came out better than Richards. This new camera has goof proof settings that make the professionals envious.

That’s the “Swan and Dolphin” Hotels in the distance. Boy do I miss those “Florida Sunset” skies! Below: A close up of the hotels in the distance. A Golden Sunset!

China at night…

Classic Epcot!

Another great day full of food, fun and beauty. Tomorrow is our last day, I was getting sad because I wasn’t ready to go home yet, but this was a welcome break for both of us.

Tomorrow...swimming, packing and a visit from an old schoolmate.

Day 5: The voyage Home

Date: Thursday, October 29, 2009

So, we slept in. My Junior High School buddy Mike Murray came to have lunch and get caught up. We went for a dip in the pool and packed to go home. I wish this day were more exciting to talk about, but – not really.

It was a great trip, but it was good to get home to my cats. What’s the next adventure? Perhaps back to Colonial Williamsburg, VA...

Orlando Vacation

2009-11-14T18:36:00.001-05:00

Well, I’ve been home from vacation for two weeks now. I’m just getting around to posting photos and short movie clips of my vacation. I am carving time out of my crazy life to share the 5 days of relaxation Rich and I took to get us through the next 365 days! LOL! ;)

First let me start by saying that I totally rocked in planning this trip! It started with the daily e-mails I get from www.spiritair.com. Check your local airport to see if they fly to your city. They have a $9 Fare Club that really makes travelling economical. (That is, if you know how to work it!) Yes, you DO have to pay to check luggage. Yes, you DO have to pay to pick your seat. The trick is to bring a carry on and don’t forget the rules of 3 oz. liquid bottles for carry on bags. We decided to each bring a carry on with clothes, a personal item like my purse and Rich’s camera bag. And we checked one bag with all of our liquids. One of our carry on bags was almost empty so we could bring home lots of goodies!

I joined a “Discovery” Time Share last year so the hotel was covered. My niece works at Disney and Sea World so there were our “Theme Park” entries. The most expensive thing we paid for was the rental car. So the airline tickets were $90.00, taxes & insurance included for the two of us. $0.00 for lodging and theme parks. My niece came through with all sorts of discounts for food, merchandise and such. We could not have done as much as we did without her! Now, here’s how the trip went:

Day 1: Getting There

Date: Sunday, October 25, 2009

An afternoon flight made getting to the airport a breeze. Mom and Dad drove us and we decided to get there two 1/2 hours before the flight to see if we could get seats closer to the front due to the fact that my ankle was still in a cast. This detail worked to our advantage many times during the trip!

We were moved to the front of the plane, got on first AND they asked for volunteers to check their carry on luggage since so many people had some. Score!

Beautiful Skies!

Great day for flying! Did I mention that Rich bought me a new camera so that I’d have it for this trip? Up till now, I’ve been taking pictures with my Blackberry Curve! FYI, if you are looking for a great pocket camera that takes great Macro pictures and captures color vividly, here’s what I have:

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 12 mega pixels

Driving to the Resort

BTW – Most of my pictures of Rich are usually from this angle! I love snapping his picture when he’s driving!

Great condo at the Bonnet Creek Resort

The right on Disney Property! But more on that later… the first thing we did was meet up with old friends! (at least MY old friends)

Susan kjoniksen chancey

I can’t even remember how old we were when we met. I know that we were really young. And you know how people come in and out of your life in different stages for some odd reason or another, but in 1977 Susan came back into mine in a big way.

Photo above: Susan shooting her “air gun” at me from behind the couch in my parents basement in Belford, NJ. Circa: 1978

Photo below: Susan and I playing with our “Star Wars Junk” and listening to music in my room in Belford, NJ. Circa: October 1978

Susan had just spent a bunch of time in Norway with family that lived there. Mom and Jean (Susan’s Mom) were good friends and it seemed that as soon as Susan got home from Norway, I had an instant friend!

Star Wars was my passion. I immediately took Susan to the movies to let her in on the phenomenon. Little did I know the monster that was created that day! I think she is probably a bigger Star Wars fan than me…which was pretty hard to beat especially then…what can I say, we were 11 years old!

I guess you could describe our relationship as “inseparable”. We even told people we were cousins because both of our families are related to the King of Norway. That’s just a small amount of background to our connection.

We took this photo at her Moving Away Party in my parents basement in Belford, NJ. circa: December (?) 1981. (See my Facebook Albums for the entire collection of photos from this party.)

So Susan’s daughter Katrina e-mailed me to see if we would pull off a “surprise” visit while I was in Orlando. I figured the first night, since it was a Sunday, would be the best night to pull it off. Well, Susan guessed what was happening about half way to Orlando but it was a great surprise and a nice reunion just the same!

Here we are 28 years later…

Susan. me, my niece Cynthia and Susan’s daughter Katrina @ Raglan Road, Downtown Disney. OK, how can it be 28 years later when I’m only 29? ;)

Cynthia and her Uncle Richard

@ Raglan Road, Downtown Disney. Dinner was great! Dessert even better! Bread pudding! The price was great too thanks to Cynthia’s Cast Member Discount! (and so the savings begin! Thanks Cynch!)

It was great seeing Susan and meeting her daughter Katrina. What a lovely young woman she is. Getting older, I realize how many friends I’ve lost touch with over the years. But when you can just pick right back up where you left off, that’s a sign of true friendship! I’ve missed out on so much though!

Susan and I plan to stay in each others lives now. I’ll be back in FL next year and a visit to her in her new home is on the agenda!

Long day! Long, fun night! We have a big day tomorrow!

Day 2: Discovery Cove! (and a visit with another old friend)

Date: Monday, October 26, 2009

Cynthia came through again! I was going to pay full price to SURPRISE Richard with a day at Discovery Cove. (without the dolphin swim)

But when I booked this trip, Cynthia was working at Sea World and we were able to get admission for $39.00 each! Score! (Thank you again Cynch!)

This photo was complimentary with your admission. They have photographers (and I use that term loosely) all over the park ready to snap a photo of you but the prices they charge is highway robbery! We bought a refillable diving camera with us..those photos I will post when we get them developed. So the following pictures are one’s we took OUT of the water!

Rich at the Entrance

It’s a beautiful Paradise! They only let 1,000 visitors in per day so it beats the hustle and bustle of theme park crowds! I wanted to start out with a nice, slow, relaxing day with lots of sun and water! Mission Accomplished!

“Fred Flintstone” map!

The only map of the park is this one made from ceramic tiles!

There are dozens of employees to direct you. And did I mention that all of your food and beverage is included? Including Beer!

That’s the pavilion for the steel drum band that plays all day long. It’s in the court yard where you eat breakfast and lunch. You heard me: breakfast AND lunch…

Beautiful scenery all around! Including all of the flowers!

And of course the people running around in wetsuits! (yes there is a picture of me in my wet suit, and NO you will not be seeing it anytime soon! LOL!

After breakfast, we decided to head to the Aviary before the heat set in.

The Aviary

Discovery Cove has a FANTASTIC aviary! What’s really cool is that the lazy river that surrounds the whole park goes through the aviary too.

Here are some of my favorite photos:

Some of the most exotic birds I’ve ever seen! Most came from Asia.

This guy on the right looks like an alien from Star Wars! Can you hear the Cantina music?

Why do birds with such beautiful plumage have such ugly heads?

Such beautiful coloring! And I love the punk rock hairdos! We humans are such copy cats. Check out the “attitude” on this guy!

Most everyone was willing to take food from us. But this guy below was the exception.

This little guy, who I found out later is in the “tern” family, kept cheeping at me but would not take any food. Later I learned he wanted to play AND only eats fish!

Video #1: Playful Tern

One of the lifeguards had three of these guys lined up on his “float” and they were dancing and fetching sticks! Soooo cute!

“Diva”

This little girl was posing for us like crazy. That’s why they call her Diva!

She matches my house! Brown and Blue!

The Coral Reef…

The Coral Reef was AMAZING!!!

I played with a school of fish for 45 minutes. We swam with sharks and barracuda (with glass separating us

of course!) And the colors and different variety of fish were probably more plentiful than if you went snorkeling in the ocean.

(underwater photos to be added later)

Swimming with the “Rays”…

Yes, they are Sting Rays. No they do not have barbs! You are completely safe with these “birds of the sea”. Feeding them is a lot of fun but don’t forget to tuck your thumb or you will probably

lose it! The disappointing part was how shallow the tank was. I’ve seen footage of people swimming with rays and it looked like they were flying! In the wild that is very dangerous because they could feel threatened and sting you in the chest. This is what happened to Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) and it proved fatal. Someday we’ll be able to share the ocean with these graceful creatures and not fear them as they fear us.

The rest of our day…

Lunch was good. We managed to get a piece of real key lime pie for dessert. We floated around the lazy river for much of the afternoon. And we even had some interaction with some British Tourists. It was a lovely day. But it was not quite over yet…

Rosemary Saunders Morrison a.k.a to me: “Rosie”

Dinner at Wolfgang Puck Cafe’ with an old friend!

It was exactly 30 years ago this Christmas that I met what would become one of my oldest and dearest friends. She was always a little grown up and I was the forever child, but in our case opposites attracted and out of that came the kind of friendship that time doesn’t change.

Rosemary came from St. Petersburg not just to see us, but to pick up her son that was going to a concert at the “House of Blues” in Downtown Disney. It was a coincidence that was great due to the fact that we will celebrate our 30 year friendship this December and probably would not have seen each other. It was great to reconnect and I’m looking forward to renewing our relationship and making plans to see each other more often.

In 1989 we met on Christmas Day, like I mentioned, during a visit my mother and I made to some friends who had moved to St. Petersburg, FL from NJ. Quite by coincidence, we ended up going to Walt Disney World on New Years Eve and I asked “Rosemary” to come with us. We were 14 so silliness ensued. Someone had bought one of those colorful lollipops with Mickey on it and we blamed our “silliness” on what was from then on called “Brandy Candy”. One year later, I returned to FL and once again we went to WDW and of course bought some “brandy candy”. Below is the photo we took in 1980 in the “Magic Kingdom”.

Brandy Candy in 1980…

Rosemary and I @ WDW with Brandy Candy Circa: December 1980

Brandy Candy in 2009…

Rosemary and I @ WDW w/ Brandy Candy Circa: October 2009

Downtown Disney @ Night…

Shopping for pins…

The Architecture of the Restaurant “Bongos”.

Great first day! Day two coming next!

One of my Favorites…

2009-10-31T11:49:00.001-04:00

George D. Lucas, Jr. presents:

The Making of “Attack of the Clones”!

Enjoy!

Who says people don’t just “break out into song” in real life…

2009-10-21T13:44:00.001-04:00

It seems to be contagious, there’s more…

Fun Stuff! Hope you enjoyed!

Frisky Business at the Hospital

2009-06-21T19:04:00.001-04:00

See what happens when I leave the room to make a phone call?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

A Sad Anniversary and a New Beginning

2009-06-19T21:23:00.000-04:00

This Sunday, June 21st, will mark one year ago that I lost my beloved cat Onyx. It has been a long, lonely year living in a home where each person has "their own" kitty. Now I know what you're thinking, "just go out and get another cat"! While that SOUNDS logical, I felt that I needed to give myself some time to grieve and time for our other cat, Clouseau, to adjust and enjoy my exclusive attention.

During this time, I thought long and hard about what type of cat to get. Do I go with a pure breed or rescue another poor soul who needs a home? Do I want another black and white ball of fluff or something different? I did have three stipulations: it had to be a female, it had to be long haired and it had to be a kitten! My thinking was that Clouie, Hunny & Sugar (mom & dad's cats) would be more likely to accept and possibly mother a kitten rather than a full grown cat.

Six months ago I started looking for this new kitty. Although I told myself (and everyone else) that all it needed to be was a long haired female kitten, in my heart of hearts I secretly longed for another Onyx! A black and white Maine Coon Mix.

Little did I know on Wednesday, June 17th in the afternoon, my secret desire of the heart would come true double fold!

Meet NIFF and KATO!
(part two of the story coming shortly...)

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

House Bunny!

2009-06-15T18:15:00.000-04:00

Not what you were thinking when you read the title eh?
This little guy keeps our backyard free from dandelions and weeds eating them like spaghetti. Its He's been living in our back yard since he was a baby. Now if he'd only eat the carrots I throw out for him!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Blast from the Past

2009-06-13T12:17:00.001-04:00

It's amazing how you can't keep crappy product down! This is the MMA acrylic I learned how to do nails with in school a zillion years ago. Seeing the logo on this gallon bottle reminded me what a "nail hag" I am. (Nail Hag is an affectionate term to describe someone in the business 15 years or more) It gave me a chuckle...
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Wwhil Wwheaton

2009-04-10T23:55:00.001-04:00

Few things seem to crack me up these days. And then this piece of silliness hit me…

Long live Stewie!

Elephant and Dog - Best Friends!

2009-02-08T11:08:00.001-05:00

This is way too cool!

Rock... Paper... Scissors... Lizard... SPOCK!

2008-12-23T16:01:00.001-05:00

Nuff said?

Dramaedy Series Finale

2008-12-23T15:48:00.001-05:00

Hello!

I have not updated most of you since November 21st! Sorry for the delay but I just have not been well enough to spend time at the computer nor did I have the emotional energy to write to anyone about the past month.

I'm happy to say that the members of the Bredal-Bell family have made it through November AND December!

I'll first update you on Mom. She came home from rehab and a second stay in the hospital about 5 days after my surgery. She did have pneumonia. But it turned out that she DID NOT have the MRSA virus after all. It was a false positive due to the lab leaving her specimen out over the weekend! Can you believe it? And the antibiotic they treated her with put her into renal failure. We just came from the kidney doc and things have improved quite a bit. She is anemic and her blood count is down to 10 from 13 so she will be having another iron infusion next week. We are back to managing her health issues as usual but now have added a kidney specialist to the long list of Docs for her care. She's stable and that's all that matters!

Dad got over his pneumonia very quickly and is back full steam. He's made from hearty Norwegian stock! Mr. Magoo is back!!!!

Richard has been catching up on his rest from all of the stress and drama of the past two months. He's fighting a "bug" as we all have this past week but doing just fine. He has truly been my "pillar of strength"! He's the best.

As for me. I am getting better everyday. I can tell you that finding my thyroid tumors and dealing with them so quickly hardly gave me time to react. I'm happy that I decided to deal with it right away as you will see why further into my story. Normally this surgery is very simple and you recover rather quickly. Then it's just a pill a day and adjusting the dose as needed. That would have been the case for me too.

They found what they expected, right lobe of my thyroid had been completely taken over by a tumor a little larger than it and my left lobe had a tumor about 1/4 the size of it. The surgery usually takes about 2 hours. And, 2 hours into it, they were getting ready to close me up. They even went out to tell Richard that they were closing now. But Dr. Ho spotted what he called a "mass" behind where the right lobe of my thyroid used to be just as they were getting ready to close.

Upon investigating, they found what they called "a congenital tumor" about the size of a jumbo egg. It was intertwined with the carotid artery, jugular vein and the nerve pack. They determined that it was benign right there and decided that they could remove it safely right then and there. This added another 2 1/2 hours to the surgery. Poor Richard as sitting in the waiting room wondering what in the world was going on!!!

All in all, I was very fortunate. Dr. Ho said it was the 3rd hardest surgeries he's ever done. He wished he had a camera in the OR because this would have been a great teaching case. But now it will just be one of his war stories...and mine too! Rich said he was completely exhausted when it was over and even 10 days after, he was still shaking his head and VERY HAPPY to see me up and breathing. Everything was benign. Had I waited, I may not have had such a good outcome. The tumors were the type that turn to cancer, we caught everything in time. The "extra" tumor was dangerous. I was basically a ticking time bomb waiting for the right moment to blow. Dr. Ho said that if they had seen it on a CT scan, they probably would have assumed it was cancer and sent me to NYC. It would have be a long, drawn out, stressful, dramatic thing. So this was the best case scenario actually!

Another piece of good news...I am off of my diabetic meds. I have been able to control my sugar w/ diet. All are normal and have been w/ no meds for 3 months now. The weight battle continues. I still have to deal with the metabolic syndrome (Hyperandrogenemia / Insulin Resistance). Basically I have to eat a boring and extremely healthy diet balanced with twice as much exercise as the average person. If only I was a bubble headed aerobic instructor instead of Tina Fey uber geek! So I guess I should pack my things and move to NYC where I would have to walk everywhere and have eclectic health food restaurants at my disposal with dozens of Pilates Studios at the ready....hmmmm sounds like a plan! LOL! I guess I'll have to settle for my kitchen and the new Planet Fitness opening up down the street...

In the end, it's good to be alive and past the drama. Life can return to normal with the exception of a few good sprout salads and a ton of exercise. Bring it on 2009!

Thanks for reading!

hugs w/ much love and appreciation for all of you,

Simmy ;)

PS - This Dramaedy series has had it's finale, stay tuned for the sitcom it will be replaced with...

Can you say Dramaedy?

2008-11-21T01:41:00.002-05:00

I have to re-phrase what I've been writing about on my blog. My life is no longer a sitcom....it is now a "Dramaedy"! (For those of you without broadcast TV, that's a drama and comedy wrapped up into one).

So, I'm ready for surgery tomorrow and do you think I can manage a quiet evening at home? NOOOO!

(Flashback to 12 noon earlier today) We had a meeting at the Rehab Center with the staff concerning Mom's treatment etc. All went well and she is progressing nicely.

(Flash even further back at 5:30 am earlier today) Routine blood work drawn from Mom.

(Flash forward to 5 pm this evening) Dr. calls to let her know that her potassium levels are too high and she has elevated kidney function. Renal failure is possible if they do not get her potassium down. Heart problems if it goes to low. She is now back in Ocean County Medical Center. She will see a kidney doc tomorrow. They gave her meds to lower her potassium and as of 11 pm it is now normal. When this is stable she will go back to the rehab center.

Meanwhile back in the ER at OC Med Center: Who do we see laying in a bed? Dad! Feeling tired and runned down he had the ER check him out since he has been on antibiotics twice in the past two weeks. Diagnosis? Phnemonia! Another round of Zithromax and bedrest. So, "Maucauley Culkin" will be "Home Alone" tomorrow while Mom is in OC Med Ctr. Bandits BEWARE! Any Questions? Call Richard. After having my throat cut open, I'll be the one with the morphine pump taking a nap. (and.... CURTAIN) GOODNIGHT!!!!!

Simmy ;)

P.S. - "See you on the other side!" -- Grannie Annie circa 1985

My Life is a Sitcom!

2008-10-28T01:49:00.001-04:00

Case in point: Mother-in-Law & Son-in-Law do not share D.N.A. But look at the way they stare at the front of the house after it has been decorated for the fall season:

I'm going to get blasted for posting this photo, but come on! (Just take one for the team Mom and Rich!)

I have been threatening for years to write stories, books, movies, SITCOMS, comic strips...something it convey the comedy that is my family! Ray Romano beat me to the title but I think my family will agree it would be fitting (in a non-egotistical way): "Everybody Loves Simmy"

Well I've got to get more creative than that but I will attempt to do so. Any suggestions are welcome for a title.

I will be posting "Episodes" as they happen. Stay tuned...

Mum's the Word

2008-10-28T01:26:00.001-04:00

OK, so it's been about a month since I've posted anything. Life comes at you fast and if you don't take the time to stop and smell the roses (or any flower for that matter) you miss out!

I finally stopped! When the dust started to clear, it occurred to me that the flowers that are in season right now are, quite remarkably, very fitting.

So the word of the month is Mum. Not in just the stereo typical fashion. The first sense of the word is the obvious. MUMS! These pretty yellow flowers are sitting on my front porch as I write this. With the daily grind being on a continuous rotation lately, Rich and I finally took this weekend to bring some beauty into the house and brighten up the front porch with colors of the season.

There are so many beautiful colors and versions of Mums. It was hard picking out what to buy and display on the porch but Rich was out of the car and pulling plants together before I even got my seat belt unhooked! We both do a lot of driving and see a lot of different landscapes but he's been talking about Mums for weeks now. He was like a kid in a candy store!

It's amazing how such simple things bring so much joy and really brighten your day. Had I realized it, I would have done this weeks ago.

I wake up every morning and go check out my beautiful flowers. When I have to drive somewhere, I make sure and pass the front of the house as I drive away so I can enjoy the colorful array of fall.

Does this mean I need to get a life? To the contrary, it's quite the opposite. As busy and crazy as life has been, I realize I indeed DO have a life. Perhaps not as foot loose and fancy free as it used to be, but a life that I can look back on someday feel good about. No regrets.

This brings me to the second sense that the word Mum.

Here in the USA we say Mom but ff I were still living in England, the word would be MUM.

Having Mom here with me has been a learning experience. I no longer work 12 hour days in a salon slaving for clients. In those days, I used to dream of being a full time housewife thinking life would be great just keeping my home, cooking and working on the odd art or decorating project. Isn't the grass greener on the other side? Guess what? I don't know what rose colored glasses I was looking through but ... I HATE BEING A HOUSEWIFE!!! Now I can say this with no malice or even dread because I (like always) use my sense of humor to look at things in a balanced way. If it consisted of house keeping, decorating and art projects I'd probably be in hog heaven.

What does this have to do with my Mum (Mom)? Just when this housewife gig is about to bring me to the brink of losing it, she will bring up an old recipe that we should try, changing the curtains in her room or....fall flowers that would look nice on the front porch! Yeap, I have to admit that Mom made me think of Mums! So I can give her credit not only for my beautiful porch this fall, but for my sanity being maintained during this housewife phase of my life. This is a tough job!

The third and final sense of the word will take a little explaining. Once my lengthy explanation is complete, I hope you will understand the meaning.

Living with family is a challenge in every phase of your life. When you are growing up, sharing a room or a bathroom with a sibling is an adventure. As teenagers, parents embarrass us (in OUR eyes anyway), we think they are idiots or that they don't know as much as we do. This causes stress and tension between parent and child. Eventually we move out and have a roommate or get married. Then adjusting to living with someone other than family presents new challenges.

Somewhere along the line, you grow to understand all of the things your parents, more particularly your Mom, tried to impart to you during the time you absolutely knew she was insane and or the stupidest person on the planet ... (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know what I mean...) Presto! The respect she was looking to get from you years ago, arrives! Sadly, this phase is short lived. For some, you may find yourself living under the same roof. That short lived "Mutual Admiration Society" comes crashing down on you!

Now, that person you knew as a young teenager and or young adult is back in your everyday life. Your adult mind goes back to the state it was in before there was the worry of car, house and credit card payments. But you see your Mom and or Dad with your adult eyes and process it in the same pattern your brain was as a teenager. You think to yourself, what happened to that wise person I just got to appreciate? The one who was disgustingly right all along? How do you process this information?

At a time when kindness and dignity are THE most crucial elements in the home, is there a way to keep the peace yet express what you are feeling? It's a tough situation, but in my case, it can be summed up in just one word.....MUM. MUM IS THE WORD! ;)

P.S. - The real fun starts after our parents leave us and we start taking on their traits or they become wise again in our eyes! (sigh)

Ninja Cat

2008-09-23T21:50:00.001-04:00

I saw this on "The Bonnie Hunt Show" and just couldn't resist blogging about it. This version does not have the dramatic music that I originally saw on the show but it's still funny! Enjoy!

Roz Rows the Pacific

2008-08-12T17:05:00.001-04:00

Check out this story:

Extraordinary voyage

Roz Savage attempts an epic row across the Pacific, and Waikiki will be her first stop

An adventurer who is crossing the Pacific solo in a rowboat hopes the voyage will draw greater attention to the problem of pollution in the oceans.

"When we have sick oceans, we're going to have a sick planet and, pretty soon, sick people," says Roz Savage, 40, who

embarked on her 23-foot-long vessel, the Brocade, from San Francisco on May 25.

Rowing 12 hours a day, she is now about 750 miles from Hawaii and expects to arrive around Aug. 31. Her first attempt failed after 10 days last year when her boat repeatedly capsized.

Roz Savage had the life people dream of: a lucrative career, a husband and a red sports car.

"I seemed to have it all, really, everything that we were supposed to want to make us happy, but I just wasn't happy," Savage said.

Dissatisfied with her life, Savage wrote two separate obituaries. One was about the adventurous life she desired. The other described the conventional life she was leading. It was an experience that ultimately motivated the 40-year-old to make her dreams reality.

On May 25, Savage launched her rowboat, the Brocade, from San Francisco for her second attempt to become the first woman to row solo across the Pacific Ocean. She was interviewed by satellite telephone on Wednesday as she took a break at a little more than halfway to her goal.

The feat is not only a personal challenge. Savage hopes her journey will also raise awareness about pollution in the ocean.

"We've tended to really use and abuse them (our oceans) and think that we can carry on doing that indefinitely, and we can't." Savage added, "When we have sick oceans, we're going to have a sick planet and, pretty soon, sick people."

Years after writing her own obituary, Savage's life is dramatically different. She is now divorced, without a permanent home or steady income. "I haven't looked back since I started changing my life. I love my life now," she said.

Most mothers would pale at their daughter traveling unescorted across the Pacific. Savage's mother initially did but later became her most ardent supporter.

"We should not prevent our sons and daughters from pursuing their dreams, making their own way through life, even if it is totally different from our own experience," Savage's mother, Rita Savage, wrote in an e-mail. "By supporting them in any and every way we can, we increase the bond between us."

In addition to her mother, Savage has other backers.

Brocade Communications, which her rowboat was named after, is Savage's lead sponsor. "By sponsoring Savage's extraordinary voyage, we hope to inspire others to take on the challenge of protecting our environment, drawing upon her courage and determination," said Chief Executive Officer Mike Klayko.

The Brocade, a 23-feet-long rowboat, is mostly constructed of lightweight carbon fiber and equipped with two satellite phones, a water desalination device, a tracking beacon and an emergency supply of chocolate and other provisions. Solar panels above the front cabin power built-in cameras and camcorders.

A documentary of Savage's voyage called "Savage and the Sea" will be produced. Savage made a similar expedition in 2005, rowing alone for 103 days in the Atlantic Rowing Race.

"Mentally, I'm much better prepared for this one," said Savage. "On the Atlantic there were quite a lot of dark moments of doubt."

Rowing about 12 hours a day, Savage faces greater risks than the occasional blister.

Her first attempt across the Pacific in 2007 failed 10 days in when her rowboat capsized several times in one day. A concerned individual called the Coast Guard to rescue Savage.

This trip, Savage has some emergency backup inspiration: Songs like Elvis Costello's "Accidents Will Happen" and "Save Me" by Queen are on her iPod. She also listens to audio books such as Harry Potter stories.

"The ocean is like my natural habitat," said Savage, "but I am very much looking forward to getting back to dry land."

Expected in Waikiki around Aug. 31, the adventurer is about 750 miles from finishing the first leg of her journey. After a couple of weeks in Hawaii, she plans to continue rowing to Tuvalu and then Australia.

"It's amazing the distance that you can cover just one little bit at a time." Savage continued, "There's only one way you can cross an ocean, and that's one stroke at a time. Similarly, there's only one way to make big changes to your life, and that's one day at a time."

To learn more about Savage's journey, visit www.rozsavage.com.

"There's only one way you can cross an ocean, and that's one stroke at a time. Similarly, there's only one way to make big changes to your life, and that's one day at a time."

Roz Savage
Adventurer

Podcast:

Roz Rows the Pacific with Roz Savage and Leo Laporte

http://twit.tv/roz

or look for it on iTunes

Computer Geek Husband

2008-08-12T16:16:00.001-04:00

Having a computer geek for a husband has led me to broaden my horizons. If it were not for Richard, I would have never become the computer savvy person I am today.

The direction my career has taken is, in fact, largely due to Richard getting online over 13 years ago and finding Beautytech.com. This lead to networking with thousands of other nail technicians like myself who were not satisfied with the lack of education available in our field. Today, I work with one of the top leaders in the industry. But more on that later...

I have a new found love listening to music, books, magazines, articles, pod casts etc. on my iPod. Again, computer geek hubby totally to blame for this new obsession. However it also has practical value. I keep up on my bible reading and studies. I've also become a techno nut and keep up with current technology thanks to TWIT.com and Leo Laporte and his motley crew of podcasters.

I knew when I met Richard on May 16, 1995 that we would be in each other's life for a long, long time. Perhaps something inside knew we'd spend our lives together. NEVER did I suspect that I'd be married to a geek! But who knew I had an inner geek waiting to emerge. (Proven by my latest app download for my iPod Touch called "Phone Saber". It enables fellow iPod Touch and iPhone users to engage in a Light Saber Duel complete with sound effects and optional Light Saber Colors!)

The reason I bring up my computer geek husband is that he is the very reason I have this blog. The very reason you get to read my inner most thoughts and what I find interesting and humorous. Thank you Richard! Love you... ;)

Simon's Cat

2008-08-12T15:38:00.001-04:00

I promise you that I am NOT one of those crazy cat ladies! But the following You Tube videos are hilariously funny for those of you who are owned by a cat! Enjoy!

Simon's Cat in: "Cat Man Do..."

Simon's Cat in: "TV Dinner"

Simon's Cat in: "Let Me In!"

Personal Update

2008-08-09T00:36:00.001-04:00

Well it's been a good two weeks since I posted anything. And longer than that since I've written anything about my personal life. So here's a long awaited update:

As you may or may not know, Mom and Dad moved in with Richard and I about a year ago. Mom's health has just been so bad since moving back to NJ and it has deteriorated a lot in the past two years.

I'm a full time caretaker now. It's amazing how much you learn about yourself when you are in a situation like this. I mean at forty-something a person usually knows themselves pretty well and has a sort of groove going in their life right? NOT! LOL!

I've always thought to myself that I would love to be a kept woman. You know what I mean, having a decent home and not having the pressure of "needing" to work. When you've worked full time for 20 years, cleaning, cooking, doing laundry and having time to be an artistic homemaker sounds really good...in theory.

I always thought I'd love to make creative dinners, sew my own curtains, do lunch and have hours to spend on my computer blogging and scrap booking.

Guess what? I hate it! Food? "You mean I have to cook everyday? You mean food DOESN'T come in white foam containers? I have to shop for it, prepare it and THEN cook it?" ...."What? Do at least one load of laundry everyday?"... "Excuse me, (I say to the other person on the other end of the telephone) but I can't sit at home and wait for the repairman to show up between the hours of 10am and 3pm!" "Richard, what time are you going to be home tonight so I can have dinner ready?" "Dad, what time are YOU going to be home tonight so I can have dinner ready?" Getting the picture yet?

Now being a full time caretaker for Mom has been challenging. After all, I've never had to take care of another human being before. I never wanted to be one of those childless people who was so selfish that it was obvious I'd never had to think of anyone but myself. But guess what I found out? I'm NOT one of those people. But I was headed that way!

I've decided that my life is a sitcom that none in Hollywood has written about yet. I've grown up with the most colorful of characters in my immediate family an time has only made them more neon and technicolor.

The one thing I refuse to do is give up and say I can't do this! You know what? I CAN! It's been a challenge but I think I'm finding my groove. I'm getting more "Monkish" as I get older but it's helped me to be really organized. I'm also learning to curb my sarcastic sense of humor. I find it funny, but aging senior citizens don't. OK, time to grow up and deal with it like an adult. I get it!

But a sense of humor is the way of life around here. It's how we get through our day. I've learned to make fun of myself instead of my loved ones around me and hopefully I've learned how to teach them to do the same.

As a reminder, we have a sign on the refrigerator that says, "Good Morning, let the stress begin!" I think that's the only sarcastic thing we let into our lives now.

So, back to the update. Mom has Cirrhosis of the live along with an uncontrollable case of Type II Diabetes. She has developed internal Varicose Veins called "varicies" caused by high portal pressures in her arteries. This is very dangerous because they can leak or rupture and cause massive internal bleeding. The treatment is beta blockers but mom is allergic. The Hematologist gives her iron infusions so the iron will be "banked" in her bone marrow and the body can produce blood quicker. It's only a matter of time...within the next year as the doc expects...where we could be facing a major "event" dealing with these varicies. Prognosis: possible liver transplant and complications from blood loss. The newest problem is her lungs. We don't know exactly what it is yet but there is wheezing and shortness of breath. Will know more on August 18th when we go to the Pulmonary Specialist. She's taking breathing treatments and Oxygen at home and we have home healthcare aides, nurses, Occupational and Physical Therapists coming to the house. "This is when the fun begins!" I'll keep you posted and try not to sound tragic about it. Live, laugh, love...what's what I'm trying to do in this stage of my life. Mostly laugh!

Dad is doing good for a 79 year old man who still works full time and thinks he's Superman! About a month ago he fell off of a chair while changing a lightbulb. He thought his back was sprained. We found out on Monday that it's a compression fracture in his lower lumbar. (Superman indeed...)

Richard is doing well in his job. Finally getting a decent paycheck. He outshines everyone at work. He's always been a good worker. And hardly ever appreciated until now. In February he had to have his gall bladder removed and it has helped with his health. However we did find out during that process that he is a diabetic. So he has joined the club. A few months ago, he fell down the stairs and broke his tailbone. He's still hurting from that. He is loving NJ and thoroughly enjoying having a yard and pool. This year he planted sunflowers, watermelons, green beans, Cubanelle peppers and tomatoes. He comes from a long line of farmers so living in the Garden State is agreeing with him!

The update on me will have to come in stages. Long story short, I'm doing great. It's been a rough transition from FL to NJ but I think I've found my groove. Work is going good but I'm not really active right now due to mom's health. That's my full time job right now. I'll post more about work soon, lots of cool stuff in that department.

About two years ago I also was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. I'm sure I've been a diabetic much longer than that but at least I know what I'm dealing with. I've had a weight problem all of the my life but in the past 10 years it's gotten out of control. Last August I decided that I'd have enough! I wen to the Doctor and asked for help. She put me on a 1300 calorie diet. I lost 13 pounds in 3 weeks. Things were going well. Then the weight starting coming back. I continued for a other 5 months but I actually gained it back. So in April of this year my Endocrinologist recommended lap band surgery. I made an appointment to see the surgeon and gather information. I found out that there are new studies showing that gastric by pass surgery has now being done on patients like me who are Type II diabetics. To make a long story short, this is how it goes:

A person has the genetic make up for diabetes. They go through their young life being slightly hypoglycemic. Many times they do not have a weight problem but sometimes they have to work hard at keeping trim. (Like me). At some point they start to gain weight and they feel tired all the time etc. At this point they are developing diabetes. The weight inhibits the body from absorbing the insulin the body produces. The insulin causes weight gain. The more weight you put on, the more insulin resistant your body becomes. It makes it almost impossible to lose weight. It's a vicious cycle.

This is the stage I am at. And although I am NOT terribly obese, it will only get worse for me. So, I have been gong through the preliminary testing and prepping for Gastric By Pass Surgery. As soon as I have the approval from the insurance company, I'll be scheduled. I feel fantastic about this! It's been a long hard road to get here and I feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel. I'll be in touch with more info soon! Thanks for checking in and reading this very long post!

Panda Rescue in China

2008-08-08T23:37:00.001-04:00

The recent earthquake in China was right in the area where giant

pandas live. Most pandas are protected well, especially the babies, even if they were scared a lot.
Right after earthquake. They rushed out and some stayed together.

Here people are rescuing pandas. Afterward they fed them and gave them shelter.

Waaaaaay too cute!

I've seen pandas in real life and I have to say that both Pandas and

Kola Bears look like cuddly stuffed animals even in real life! Too bad they could rip your face off in a heartbeat! LOL! I just think that it's wonderful that there are people out there that

take the time out to care for these magnificent creatures in times like this!

Look at those milk faces!!!!

Can you stand it? I have to admit, I have a soft spot for black and white colored animals. They look so regal!

I also have to admit that they are so surreal looking, almost like children in a panda costume.

A group shot of some of the people that took care of these babies!

I hope you enjoyed these photos. I wish I had more facts about this to give you but...

Dancing with the Universe

2008-07-14T21:29:00.001-04:00

A friend send me this video and as I watched it, I got choked up! Then I began to think to myself, "why didn't I think of this?"

It makes me think of the happy dance we'll be doing when the earth is finally rid of sickness, death, pain, tears and sorrow! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did...

http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2008/06/27/2396/dancing_with_the_universe

Viva La Onyx!

2008-07-13T22:19:00.000-04:00

It seems that I am not very good at keeping a Blog. The things that make me want to Blog are usually sad. I'm going to change that but I first have to tell about my worst day in many, many years.

Saturday, June 21, 2008. At about 2 pm. My beloved Kitty Onyx suffered what seemed to be a stroke. I heard a heartbreaking cry and she was dangling by her little claws from the kitchen ottoman. I immediately noticed there was a puddle of urine on the rug. Very uncharacteristic of her. I released her claws and she fell to the floor. I noticed she could not pick herself up on her right side. In my mind I knew. This is it, the day I knew would come.

I had been preparing myself for this the past few years. Onyx was born in October of 1989 and this was her 19th year of life. She had been getting very skinny and arthritis had set in. The end was coming as much as I wanted to deny it. I had hoped she'd be able to shrug this off. I gave her a few minutes to try to get herself up. Every time she tried, she cried and looked at me as if to say, "Mommy, help me!" She was trying to get to the litter box I suspect. I scooped her up into my arms and yelled for Richard who was in the back yard building a slab for the fire pit. We knew what we had to do.

Of course this happened on a Saturday after 12 noon so that meant we had to go to the Vet Hospital in Tinton Falls. Mom, Richard and I got in the van and off we went. Poor Ony just layed on my lap on her blankie and stared at me. Half way there she pooped, I suspect she lost control because she didn't even flinch while she did it. All I could think was.."this is it Simmy, keep it together!"

We got to the vet and waited a short time. The vet came in and confirmed that is probably was a stroke. She wanted to keep her over the weekend to run tests and possibly see the neuro doc on Monday. I began to panic! I was not leaving my baby there alone to possibly die over the weekend. Since the day we met, I'd promised myself and Onyx that when it was her time to leave me, she would do so peacefully and in my arms! The decision was made just to let them do blood work and an X-Ray and take it from there.

We left her there for the tests. I couldn't breath, think or sit still. I threw myself to the floor of my bedroom and cried my eyes out. Clouie, our other kitty, would not come near me, she knew something was wrong. I realized that this was truly the day I had dreaded for years and I had to get it together. I made my mind up how it was going to go. All I needed was to know if she would recover or if it was hopeless and time to let her go.

About an hour later the phone rang. Richard answered it. He began to cry and I knew what had to be done. The X-Ray showed she has large masses in her chest and next to her liver. Onyx had cancer. Back in the van, this time with Pops with us, we drove to Tinton Falls to say goodbye to my best friend.

As went down the road I looked back at my life with this beautiful creature. It began when my dog, Oreo, managed to escape from the house back in Clearwater. We went to the pound to find her and in the process found a kitty for mom. That kitty got sick and died almost immediately, a sad story in itself. So we IMMEDIATELY set out to find another kitty.

We went to the Humane Society in Clearwater and entered the "Cat House". Inside there were cages with kitty's meowing like crazy but this one cage was quiet. I kneeled down and there she was, this little 4 month old long haired black and white kitten. She was laying in the back of the cage just looking at me very quietly. Immediately I opened the cage and swooped her into my arms. She turned over onto her back, gave me a little "mow!" and began to purrrrr. We later named it Diesel Engine purrrs because of how deep and loud it was! Well, that was it! Love at first sight for both of us. I yelled over to mom, "I found the kitty!" Mom instantly knew this was the one. So Onyx actually started out as Mom's Kitty, but that was not going to last. She was mine from day one! Eventually Mom had to move and her new landlord did not permit animals so I kept Onyx.

She had extraordinary experiences, her first friend was a rabbit. He was a dwarf bunny that lived in the back yards of the neighborhood. He had the markings of a Siamese Cat. Dark ears, limbs and snout and a light tan/cream body.

Every day "Waja" (pronounced Waa-jaa. Formal name: Waja D. Wabbit) would wait for Onyx at the back door of the house and when I let her out, they would run off and play. Little did I know that the neighbor's would see them and watch in amazement.

When Onyx got tired of Waja, she would climb a tree and take a nap. He would wait patiently at the foot of the tree and hop around. All I had to do is call "Ooooonyx!" and she would come running home. Waja would stay in the backyard and look for her sitting in the window. When he spotted her, he'd sit and stare at her for as long as she sat in the window. It was the cutest and most remarkable thing I'd ever seen!

My dog, Oreo, took to Onyx very quickly. Onyx took great delight in teasing Oreo every chance she got. We had a glass coffee table that Oreo used to snooze under. Onyx would jump on top of the table, reach down and swat Oreo in the head and retract her paw quickly. Oreo would wake up and look left and then right to see who had swatted her. She never figured it out! Onyx would look very pleased with herself after that! LOL!

When I was single, I lived with my mother, brother and Uncle. Onyx and Oreo came with me of course. Because of the dog, I had to keep her food off of the floor so I opted to have it on my night stand with her water. She was very protective of her food, especially when it came to my brother David. As soon as she saw him coming, she would run to her food as if she were guarding it. Even if she was down the hall, if she saw David even going near my room, she would make a beeline for that food bowl!

Poor Onyx had to endure my 6 month stay in England. Mom and David said that she would only go into my room to eat the entire time I was gone. Not having her with me was the worst part of being in England. I missed her everyday! She missed me too as I was told that she looked for me everyday.

The next phase of Onyx' life that I thought about was when Richard came into it. Oreo died shortly after I met Richard and that left Onyx as my only "child". I lived in one bedroom condo and Onyx and I would sleep close together each night. Neither one of us was used to being all alone! We had a routine. She would jump on the nightstand (probably from having her food bowl there while living at Mom's house). I'd give her a treat, then she would snuggle next to me and go to sleep. This got disrupted a little when Richard and I got married and she let me know she was not happy to have the "person" in the house. It took me a while to realize she just wanted to sleep with me the way we always had. (Duh Simmy!)

About a year after Rich and I got married, I rescued our second kitty Clouseau. It took a few days of hissing and spitting but they got to know each other and became buddies.

Onyx loved her toys and she would take them out of her bed (that she never slept in!) and leave them all over the house. Just when we were falling asleep at night, she would take her "tuna dump" in the cat box and then grab her favorite toy (a knitted bag made of Icelandic wool with catnip in it which I called her "baby") and howl with it in her mouth and bring it to me at the side of my bed.

Onyx, queen of the kitty's. She protected Clouie from everything. Mom and Dad's cats treated her with respect when we all moved in together. There was something regal about her. And she knew it! LOL!

These were just a few things that went through my head while driving to the Animal Hospital. But then, we arrived. My heart was in my throat. It took FOREVER for them to bring us into the room. It took FOREVER for them to bring Onyx in. And then, there she was. Wrapped in a blanket. I scooped her up and held her like a baby just like I did the first time we met. She looked up at me, gave me a "mee-att" and started to purrr. We gave her treats and let her smell her "baby". I talked to her and sang her the repatwar of things I've said to her and called her through the years. "Missy Goldie Hawn, Missy Kitty!" "Oniffonator!" "Keirtons!"...and the list goes on.

As I talked to her, the diesel engine purrrs started. Everyone in the room could hear it. Rich began to lose it a little and so did mom. I kept it together with surprising poise. Then she started to fall asleep. I'd exhausted all of my songs and sayings. She ate to her hearts content. She was in the arms of her "mommy" and she was happy. I didn't know what to do. It was time. Time to say good bye. Time to let her rest and not let her suffer anymore.

The doc was great. She explained everything in detail so there would be no surprises. As she gave Ony the shot, I said, "I love you Onyx.." and she was gone...

I miss her everyday and I think I always will. But life must go on and there are other wonderful kitty's that need love. Out of all of Jehovah God's creations, the cat big and small is my favorite. Ony will always be "my baby"!

Viva La Onyx! My little "niff"...

Cartoon Onyx

2008-03-21T18:26:00.000-04:00

Once a month, my little friend Kayla and I have a "drawing contest". I use that term loosly because Kayla scores each picture! LOL! This is my picture of my kitty Onyx, nicknamed "Niff" by hubby Richard. You can see Kayla's picture of her kitty Honey next to it.

Old Man by the Sea...

2005-09-18T18:46:00.000-04:00

LOL! ;-> or just my Dad at LBI, NJ May 2005. We got fried by the sun this day! David, Sharon, Tyler, Mom, Dad, Richard and I took a trip to Long Beach Island, NJ for the day. We ate breakfast as a cool place called "Uncle Will's Pancake House". There you can eat sitting next to a plastic pig!

For Dinner, we went to M&M Seafood. I highly recommend this place if you love fresh seafood in a very casual environment. It's outside! I think Rich will be aching to come back here!

Sweet Pea!

2005-03-21T20:20:00.000-05:00

Clouie!!! or as she is formally named, Clouseau. She's my baby from my 2nd hubby Richard. The sweetest kitty ever!

There goes my car...

2005-01-26T02:28:00.000-05:00

On October 27, 2004 I had a car accident while working for Satin Smooth in Maryland. It was really scary because it took Richard 6 hours to get to me. My injuries were minor but as can see, the car didn't fare so well. I'm

happy to still be here. The car did what it was supposed to do, protect me! As a result, I haven't been able to work since. It's been a hard time but I'm on the mend. Frozen shoulder syndrome from bursitis in the right shoulder. Lots of Physical Therapy and the arm is almost good as new. Now what do I do? I have a feeling there's something good brewing out there for me. Time to make lemonade our of lemons! We already have a new Subaru Impreza Outback Sport in my two of my favorite colors, light metallic blue and silver. I think I'll miss my Saturn...

What's the latest poop?

2004-09-11T12:47:00.000-04:00

Onyx, Queen of "the throne"! She's my baby from my first marriage. Thankfully she takes after me! She's such a poser!

Welcome to my Blog Site!

2004-09-11T12:35:00.000-04:00

This is my first post to my blog site. I'll be posting thoughts, events, pictures and anything else I want to share.