Home From Paradise....

Quite time on Cabarete Beach

The color Blue at its best

Doug and Phil enjoying a cold beverage 

What a view

I love the pictures Doug took with his phone and wanted to share here. I'm dreaming of the day when Drew and I are on this awesome island enjoying the wonderful sunshine and beaches.

Breath taking views

Laundry Room Redo

So many house projects. I always like to do them when Doug is away. I have a long list of things that I need to do but am feeling really satisfied about the progress I have made in just over a week. The sunroom carpet has been ripped out and replaced with tile and the guy will come in the morning and add the molding. The backsplash looks great and now the electrical outlets are working along with the under cabinet lighting. And finally I have cabinets and another shelf in our laundry room I moved all the blankets and sheets that were on the only shelf in the room to the living room so I have to knock out this project tomorrow. There is something I love about giving a face lift to my house. It inspires me and makes me happy. It is hard to believe that we have lived in this house for over 10 years. Where is the time going and why so fast. I have another project on the drawing board to add more storage to our home and that is a shelf above the garage. This will happen soon but not before having the garage repaired. Yeah the spring and something else major broke and has to be repaired. I am hoping that we don't have to replace the entire stinking thing. I also need to replace the carpet downstairs but will wait and recover for our  recent renovations.

Snow Day

She really loved the snow

This is a picture sent from one of my students. I told them since we were not having class to send me a picture of them dancing in the snow. I love his picture.

Mariah loved the snow and spent hours outside playing. We have to take her skiing or snowboarding.

Blowing snow kisses....

Our house on this snowy day. It was nice to see the sun shining.

My White Runway....

Beautiful Bloom

The weather outside is awful. At this moment we are getting ice but I think it might turn to snow. So I was so excited when I discovered that the flower my friend Chris gave me for Christmas has bloomed.

 

Ukrainian Girl

So excited to get the mail and find the sweatshirt and t-shirt we had ordered for Mariah a few weeks ago. She loves her heritage and we want her to always be proud of her homeland. I hate seeing and hearing and reading about all the awful things that are going there now. I pray for peace and that the politicians that are corrupt be replaced with honest, caring and hardworking people that will lead and direct the country in the right direction. This is a perfect saying for my high energy spirited girl.

Wearing her sweat shirt proudly

T-shirt pride

Renovations

Sunroom

Kitchen 

Kitchen Black Splash After

Sunroom Tile Floor After

Gym Stuff

New pj pants and gymnastics sweatshirt from the meet this weekend. Mariah loved them!

Team Awards

This is the Wake Gymnastics Team Award

Lunch with the Team after Mariahs Meet

The Wake Team with Gold Olympic Winner Paul Hamm

Autism Awareness Invitational

Meet Results

All Around- 3rd

Bars- 2nd

Beam- 4th

Floor -10th

Valut - 2nd

I thought Mariah had a great meet. She was focused and overcame her injuries from last week. She also  stepped up to the plate by being responsible and driven even with awful cramps. She gets a big GOLD star in my book. I could have never accomplished what she did today. She is one amazing athlete.

Focus

Pointed toes

Breakfast Of Champions

My liquid courage for the day.

Breakfast before we head to the gymnastics meet.

Friday Night Fun

We headed back to Asheville this afternoon and after the 4 hour drive for me and nap for Mariah we decided she need some exercise and I need to just relax and what her swim for a few hours. We are staying at the Crown Plaza and this will make Mariahs 4th stay here. I bet they are wondering if she is thinking of moving in. We had a mini picnic in our room and watched gymnastics on TV. Tomorrow is her meet and we have to be at UNC Asheville by 11:30am. After the meet we will hit the road and head back to Durham. We will post tomorrow with meet results and more. Have a good sleep. P.S it was 19 degrees when we got into the car from the pool and Mariah thought her hair might freeze or her bare toes would fall off. It is down right cold here.

Wonderful Sunset Tonight

This is the what I observed driving down the street tonight. So amazing I had to stop and take a picture.

DPAC

Dinner at the Little Dipper was so yummy. Wednesday is Girls Night Special....

My BFF Chris and I on our date night.

Snow for Drew

SNOW

Guess what? The weather was awesome yesterday and today was nice a little cold but sunny all day until our drive home from gymnastics...Something started falling from the sky as if someone were spitting. Yes my friends it was snow. Or slush in my opinion. Its gone now but so cold with the wind blowing. We are here at home with nasty weather and Doug is in the sunny Dominican Republic. Poor guys I hope he soaks up enough sun for all of us.
Gymnastics canceled class at 6
Mariahs school is on a 2 hour delay tomorrow
Hope its warm in your part of the world.

The King- Martin Luther King

                                                    
                                                              A  FEW  MORE  QUOTES

 “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”

 “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.”

 “Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”

 “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

 “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”

“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle.”

“The ultimate measure of aman is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

THANK YOU FOR THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE AND MAY YOUR      LESSONS CONTINUE TO SERVE ME MY CHILDREN AND OTHERS. 

Backpacks.....

Just to note Mariah should be carrying a backpack that weighs between 15 to 18 pounds.

Why am I blogging about backpacks. Well, Mariahs backpack is causing her health problems and is very painful to carry. You see the backpack weighs close to 30 lbs and she carries it long distances. I am suggesting that she get a rolling one but she said that they are not allowed at her school. Thinking what other options we might have I ask her why she doesn't use her locker and store what books she is not using for the day or night. Ah Ha she tells me Mommy I have to bring all my books home because I may need them. I don't think its a situation we can speak to the school about because there are options for her to take the load off so I need to teach her to be more organized and use her planner to see what books she needs for the day and or night. This will not be easy but taking care of an active kid with a broken back would be much harder. Lets see what's in that backpack for this 11 year old 6th grader.

Overloaded

Look how big the backpack is and how small Annie is.