You Can Keep Your Leap Day

Today was...different. Maybe it was the new mattress (more on that later), but I had a terrible time dragging my body out of bed. I had plenty of reasons to get going too!

My extra minutes of loafing got me off to a late start. I had to skip breakfast and exercise to sew a "simple" Zarephath costume for Emma. As I rolled the last hem of the dress, Shelby wretched on the fabric that was to be a sort of sash around Emma's waist. I tossed the spoiled material in the trash and decided to use rope for a belt instead. Problem averted.

The sewing took longer than expected, making me late for a jeans shopping date with friends. I took a speed shower, slapped on some clothes and makeup, and raced to meet the girls at Buckle. I found a great pair of jeans right off the bat. Unfortunately, the price tag told me to put those thigh-slimming, butt-lifting miracle workers right back on the rack. Instead I focused on comforting my girlfriend as she searched for her magic pants. Jeans shopping is almost as bad as swimsuit shopping! Ugh!

My brief window of "fun time" ended all too fast. By 12:00 I was stuffing down a PBJ and driving the half hour down to Bowling Green to set up for a special program at church. Each year about this time, the young women have an event called New Beginnings to emphasize goal setting for the year. Our New Beginnings had been moved to the 29th because half our girls couldn't attend the evening we were originally scheduled to have the meeting. The new date came all too fast (hence the early morning costume sewing).

When I arrived (late again), the other youth leaders had started decorating for our "Light Keepers" theme. We begged, borrowed, and stole all sorts of lanterns from families at church and arranged them around the gym and chapel. We had little white light strands and battery operated candles to complete the effect. It turned out pretty cute in the end, but there was a lot of work to get there.

By the time I started the long drive home, I was feeling a bit stressed because I had several changes to make in the printed program and not a lot of time to do it. I also learned that Emma's costume didn't fit. Oh! And did I mention that Jake and the young men were holding an activity in our basement that evening and I still hadn't straightened up the house?

Rick came to my rescue. Though he had just wrapped up a long day of testing, he volunteered to make Emma a second costume for New Beginnings. He also cleaned up the mess in the basement since we had been sleeping there ever since returning from Florida (more on that later). And, because there was no time to make and clean up dinner, he treated Emma and me to soup and salad at Panera. My hero!

Once nourished, I set to work on adjusting and printing the program. That's when the rain really started to pour. The changes just kept rolling in and girls started bailing on their speaking parts. So and so needed me to give them a ride. The color printer wouldn't work. Ya-da-ya-da-ya-da...

45 minutes before New Beginnings was to start I ended up sending my print job to the Bowling Green Kinko's via e-mail so that another leader could pick them up. Kinko's made 25 copies for $25. Ouch! I broke speed records driving back to the church. So many pieces of the puzzle had yet to come together, but people were arriving and I had to start playing prelude music at the piano. Thank goodness we have such a great presidency so we can give and take on all the odd jobs that pop up on a night like this!

Several minutes after 7:00, someone dimmed the lights to the chapel. There was so little light in fact, that I could not read the music to play for the young women as they floated in carrying mini lanterns. I stumbled over the piano keys and "set the mood" for the comedy of errors that was to be our program. It seemed like we had one glitch after another, but we soldiered on. At least the girls were great!  They looked cute in their value colored costumes and they sang beautifully. It came together in the end despite my best efforts to flub it up.

At the end of the night, one of the other leaders sent me home with a dozen left over cupcakes. Well, I allowed myself to have one once I got home. Then, I chased that down with 2 left over brownies from Jake's activity. Can you say "stress eater"?

I can honestly say that I am happy this day is over. Just a few more minutes until March is here!!!

Bahamas Cruise Day 5 - Home

Friday morning we arrived back in Miami. Our flight was at 11:00 out of Ft Lauderdale so we carried our luggage off of the ship so that we would not have to wait for it to be transported. Unfortunately, the shuttle service to the airport would not arrive to pick us up for 1 hour. We could have slept in for another hour! We eventually got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. Even enough time for a nap!















We had an uneventful flight back to Detroit and drove home in the snow. The pets and kids were happy to see us (or so we tell ourselves). It was nice to be home, but I can’t wait for the next one!

Bahamas Cruise Day 4 - Key West

We had already been to Key West on another cruise and rented
a moped to see the touristy things so we decided just to walk around. We took our time getting off of the boat and finally made it to shore shortly before lunch.

We were craving Mexican food so we headed off towards a recommended place. On the way, we stopped for photos at various “interesting” things. Lunch was delicious and we hit the streets again. We had made reservations at Prana Spa for a couples massage, but had a few hours to kill. So, we walked some more and enjoyed the local shops and sights.

Our massage was very nice and I can recommend Prana if you are ever inthe area. After the massage, we slinked back to the ship and got ready for dinner.

The last night, the waiters sang to us and we (I) gorged ourselves (myself) for the last time.After dinner, we went to the farewell show. It was 60’s music and dancing. Good production value, but not my favorite genre. Then it was off to our stateroom to pack and sleep. I set the smoke alarm off with steam from the shower. I called the front desk and their solution was to remove the battery. Safety first!

Bahamas Cruise Day 3 - Coco Cay

Wednesday we got up early again. We were going to be at Coco Cay, Royal Caribbean’s private island and had scheduled to go parasailing at 10:00 am. It was overcast and misting. Boo! We did get on the parasailing boat with 2 other couples.

The first went and as they came back on board, the rain picked pu in earnest. The other couple with us was 2 tiny college girls from Ohio State (Go Bucks) that were absolutely shivering. They took us back to the island and told us that we could go out later if it cleared up. We simply cancelled in case it didn’t.

The sun did come out about an hour later. The water blued and it looked like a tropical island. Bahamas means shallow water and it’s called that for a reason. At low tide, you can actually walk between some of the islands. Well, it wasn’t low tide but we walked about ¼ mile into the ocean. We saw all kinds of sea life. We found many conchs, sea cucumbers, and even had a ray swim up to us.

We named him Charles. Charles, the Ray.... Audrey wanted to touch it so much. It had other ideas though. That's Audrey's leg in the picture. She got pretty close.

After walking back to the island, we ate the lunch buffet. Last time we were there, we were on waverunners during lunch and arrived as it was ending. We literally had to grab food from carts as they were wheeling it away. This year, we made sure to be there in time and it was worth it.

Once we finished eating, we found a “nature” trail and took a walk. It went the opposite direction of the beaches. There were no other people there. We walked by a few buildings that looked like maintenance buildings and residences. We kept going and ended up at a secluded cove with clam blue water. We waded in and played in the water for a bit. Then we headed back. We were wondering if we were supposed to be back there since we had seen multiple “no guests beyond this point” signs but they were always off the main path heading towards the buildings. Then we saw an approaching boat that had “POLICE” written on the side. Where is there a police department on a private island? Coast guard maybe, but there is no municipality so no police. Well, they went on by us and kept going. Apparently they were not there for us.

After our walk, we made it back to the parasailing. This time, we were on a boat with 5 couples. The water was rough and it got to Audrey again. No meds this time! We were the last of the group to go up. It was fantastic. It was surprisingly peaceful and calm. There was little wind up there and the water looked beautiful. There was even a 70ish year old couple of possibly sisters that went up. Anyone can do it. If you get the chance, try it.

After parasailing, we snorkeled for a bit. Another ray found us. We like to say that it was Charles

again. Audrey still wanted to touch it, but he evaded her. We laid out on the beach and then headed back.

Once on board, we cleaned up. I went to talk to the spa manager about the previous night’s problem and she offered Audrey another treatment to make up for it.

Bahamas Cruise Day 2 - Nasseau

Tuesday we woke up and got ready fairly early (for a cruise). We arranged to go to Atlantis for the day. When we were in Nasseau last time, we went on a personal sub trip but heard everyone talking about how much fun they had at Atlantis. We even had some friends in Perrysburg tell us how much they enjoyed Atlantis when they went. So we decided we had to see it. I looked into various wats to buy tickets and arrange transportation, but ultimately decided to push the easy button and buy our passes through the cruise line. That night was the formal night and to really live it up, Audrey and I scheduled some spa services on the ship before dinner. We wanted to make sure that we were back on the boat on time.The weather couldn’t have been better. It was warm but not hot. The humidity was ideal. We caught the shuttle to Atlantis and arrived in no time.















After a brief orientation tour, we set out on our adventure. Atlantis is a large resort/casino operation with a LARGE water park. It is themed with, you guessed it, Atlantis ruins and lots of sea life.















There are waterslides and a “lazy” river that is 1 mile long and has incorporated slides and rapids. We had arrived 15 minutes before the park opened so we had time to get situated. We started on the river. It took about 45 minutes to make it around. One of the lifts that takes floaters up to a slide was broken so we had to walk up the incline. I was pretty winded by the top. It must have been the altitude. After the river, we explored The Dig. The Dig is a collection of huge aquariums and tunnels that are elaborately constructed in keeping with the overall resort theme. The fish ranged from the teeny tiny to the enormous. Somehow, we endedup wandering into the resort. The lobby was very impressive. They definitely went BIG with their vision. It was a bit chilly for some people though.















I liked the hammerhead shark tank.

After getting back outside, it was time for a quick lunch and then off to the slides. There were not many lines and those that were there moved quickly. There were slides in inner tubes, slides on your backs, and some slides where you didn’t really ever touch then slide. 2 of the slides end with clear sections that pass through a shark tank so that you are surrounded by sharks.

After getting our fill, we made it to the shopping district for some souvenir hunting. I am always impressed with the amount of obscene junk that shops try to hawk. Who buys that stuff?

After a brief shopping excursion, We eventually made our way back to the ship to start getting ready for the formal night. Audrey has been trying to get me to go to a spa so I thought that this would be a good opportunity. I signed up for a “time out for men”treatment and Audrey signed up for some cafeteria type package. Mine included a facial, shave, scalp, head and neck massage. It also included a collagen eye treatment. Apparently, I’m old and have bags under my eyes. We arrived and my Philippino fella took me into a room and went to work. It was nice. Audrey’s Serbian gal, Svetlana, however, was 20 minutes late. We had scheduled so that we would have plenty of time to not be rushed. So much for that. By the time she was done, we had 10 minutes to get dressed and all formalized. Back in the spacious (aka tiny) room, limbs were flying. It looked like a tornado went through. But somehow, we ended up in the right clothes and headed to dinner. We got there, yep, 20 minutes late. I was surprised but there were only 4 men that I could see in tuxes, including me. There were also few women that were what I’d consider formal. Oh well, at least WE looked good!

After dinner, we went to the nighttime show. It was the Singing/Dancing show. It was not my favorite music, but wasperformed well. Then, to our room to sleep.

For those who have not been on a cruise ship since the advent of text messaging, most cell phone companies have coverage on ships. However, it has been my experience that it doesn’t work as intended. Every text we received was received about 6 times over a 4 hour period. We wanted to keep the phones on in case of an emergency, but we received redundant text messages throughout the cruise. Verizon needs to work on that one. It makes for less than restful sleep.

Bahamas Cruise Days 0 and 1 - Ft Lauderdale and Embarking

As is becoming the annual tradition, the adult folks in the Saunders house fled the cold Ohio winter for warmer shores on a big boat. This year, I (Rick) found a last minute cruise for a too good to pass up price.

We were not thrilled with the destination as we were there last year, but the Bahamas would certainly be warmer than Toledo.

My schedule had been quite busy leading up to the trip and Audrey had also been stretched extra thin. The result was that we did not get to start packing until about 11:00 pm Saturday night with a 12:00 noon flight the next day. After a flurry of clothes, toiletries and suitcases, 4 bags were miraculously situated in the hallway.

Emma had already been dropped off with some friends that would be watching and playing family for the week. Jacob was to be picked up by another surrogate family before church on Sunday.

After actually getting up at our planned time (I know, right???) we still ended up running late getting out of the house. We made good time to the airport and scrapped our offsite parking plans in exchange for actually making our flight. We flew through Chicago en route to Ft Lauderdale. So far, our plans seemed to be going well. Then came the hotel transfer…

Apparently the shuttle service our particular hotel for the night offered only ran hourly. Of course that is not advertised. We watched shuttle after shuttle come and go but had to continue waiting in the frigid 70 degree Florida weather. We powered through it and eventually ended up at our hotel. Since this was the beginning of our cruise vacation, we had food on our minds. We called a recommended Chinese restaurant and had it delivered to our hotel room. It wasn’t half bad.

In the morning, we walked to Chipotle and had lunch. A different shuttle came to the hotel and took us to the Port of Miami here we boarded our ship. It was uneventful.

Royal Caribbean has the process down to a science and it was smooth. Once on board, we unpacked. We like to get inside cabins midship to limit motion and allow for a VERY dark room. Our cabin was quite small but adequate. Of the criticisms that I’d read of this particular cruise, cabin size seemed to be the most often cited.

While I continued to unpack, Audrey graciously offered to try out the bed. Apparently, it was adequate because she was out like a light.

This was the first time we have selected the earlier dining option. It ended up suiting us well. We were fashionably late for our first dinner. It took a little longer getting ready because Audrey received a special gift that she’ll have to tell about.

We were seated with 2 other female couples. They were both mother/daughter pairs. The sea was angry, my friend. It got to Audrey a bit. I had brought some phenergan and she took 1. It made her stomach feel better, but she was high as a kite. She made it through dinner fine but kept saying how weird she felt. Pretty cheap date……

Then, it was off to the show. It was kind of an intro” show with a variety of the performers doing a few minutes. After the show, Audrey was still feeling pretty tired and “off” so we headed off to bed. Day 1 was deemed a success.

January in Pictures

I'm anxious to tell you all about our Disney vacation, but I can't start before I catch up on the last few months. Here's a few bits about January...

Rick and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary. Jake and Emma made us a scrumptious cake complete with candles.

Rick worked. A LOT. When too many days go by without seeing him, I get a little cranky. Sometimes the kids and I show up at work so we can eat a meal with  him. Rick's job has its perks, like playing in the helicopter.

With threw Emma a big ol' birthday extravaganza when she turned 12. The tiara was her idea.

I made a little Emma shrine in the entryway and the Young Womens Presidency decorated her room with streamers and balloons.

The girls were craaaaaazy! Like, hopped up on sugar crazy!!! It was such a loud night that Jake hid out in his room with the pets.

Emma received many thoughtful presents like makeup, candy, and more makeup. She now wears more eyeshadow than I do!

The girls ate pizza, played games, watched movies, and danced with the Kinect. 

11 out of 14 guests showed up. Whew!

Our little princess is growin' up! 

We finally got to break out the snow blower one day in January. Other than that, it's been an unusually mild season. We're not complaining.

It was so depressing after the Christmas decorations came down that I decided to celebrate January this year. I added some wintry silver and gold touches around the house. 

 

I subbed seminary one week, but got sick the last day. The pets took care of me.

Aaaaaaaand we went to the Bahamas. No big deal.

December in Pictures

An Explanation

Blogger and I had a falling out. Pictures are such a PAIN to load that I've had absolutely no desire to blog the past few months. I apologize to the 3 loyal people that still follow. It's not you, it's me. I really need some coaching on how to make this whole blogging process faster. By the time I get the photos up, the writing part of my brain is totally blocked. HELP!

I feel that I should share a few of the highlights from the holidays, although Christmas seems like a lifetime ago. This post will include my favorite moments from December.

Decking Our Halls

We had a blast decorating the house this year. Emma inherited Grandma Saunders's lovely Christmas village, so we got to set it up on the ledge in our basement. It looked beautiful when it was all lit up! We also added a few more themed Christmas trees so that we could showcase my growing collection of Nativity ornaments and the kids' homemade ornaments from over the years.

Grandma's Village

Our message board with a few wintery snapshots and some subway art from the Internet

One of the cheesy decorations I made in Relief Society a million years ago that the kids won't let me pitch

Our favorite mugs given to us from the Phelans in times past AND simmering potpurri (recipe from my Mom)

A table cloth I picked up on clearance after Christmas last year

A nod to my sister-in-law Toni...she used to wrap her wall art like presents.

The Greg Olsen painting is a gift I bought myself this year for my birthday. I love it!

Our living room tree (the one the kids don't like).

A view of a few nativity displays

My favorites

More nativity displays

My little nativity tree in the background

The foyer with a nativity passed down from Grandma Saunders

In the music room

I like to switch out the pictures in my frames to go along with the season. We have some pretty funny Santa pics through the years.

Emma and Chloe showing off the front porch

 Shelby's Trip to Bass Pro

Another tradition? We like to take Shelby to Bass Pro. We were hoping to get her picture taken with Santa, but the lines we sooooooo long. All the parents wanted their children to see The Big Guy. Whatever.

Shelby wore her Santa Baby cosutme all month long.

She kept licking the faux snow that littered the ground of the store. You can see it in her fur.

Emma's bestie, Emily, joined us.

You'll put your eye out kid!

Shelby was a hit with the kiddies. We could have charged money...

The Interfaith Nativity

It just wouldn't be Christmas in Perrysburg without the Interfaith Nativity hosted by our church. This year I had the pleasure of accompanying one of my favorite young women, Christy, as she performed in her very own concert. I was amazed by her poise and confidence. She's just 16 years old and she gave a beautiful 45 minute long performance all by herself. Wow!

Audrey, Christy, and Christy's mom Anita

Fake Christmas

We celebrated Christmas Eve AND Christmas on December 23rd. That's right. Rick worked on Christmas Eve night and Christmas morning, so we had to make a few adjustments to our schedule. As is our tradition, we ate at Nagoya for dinner. Then, we made our way home for music, snuggling, and gift-giving.

Jake is good enough now to play all sorts of Kurt Bestor arrangements. He performed "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" for our ward's Christmas Sunday program.

Chloe LOVED her first Christmas. She took particular interest in the trees and gift wrap.

Shelby's expression strikes me as funny. I love her!

"OK Kids. Let's take a sweet brother/sister photo by the tree".

There we go!

This one of the few "Christmas morning" pictures of me wearing makeup - ha! I can get used to this.

The Holidays in A Nutshell

This was not to be a season spent with family. Instead, we put money away for savings. Rick was blessed with some wonderful and lucrative moonlighting opportunities, but we had to sacrifice our time together. I have to admit, it was hard. All of my siblings and families gathered with my folks for Christmas this year. I reeeeeeeally wanted to be a part of their fun. Family is truly an essential part of Christmas. Snow is too. We didn't have either. Next year will be different!

Thank goodness we had Chloe and Shelby to distract us from missing our family!

What makes your Christmas a successs? How will you make things different next year?