Summers of the Past

June 11, 2018

Hoping to link up with the Blended Blog, I’ve taken a trip down memory lane to reflect on

Summers of the Past

I remember bits and pieces of summers of the distant past. Although I can’t recall specific events, I do remember that my little sister and I would go to work with Mama and spend the summer days exploring (snooping) and enjoying the coffee.

Also I remember spending weeks at the lake house my grandparents owned. It was at Lake Hewitt in Interlachen, Florida that I learned to swim and water-ski.

As I entered my teenage years there were some summer activities with my church youth group, such as camp at Lake Yale and choir tours to other churches in the Southeast.

These days my summers are jam packed with activities.

I barely have time to catch my breath from one event before taking off on another

ADVENTURE WITH LB!

In this AWESOME photo we spent a summer day biking on the beach

and later grilling out in Jekyll Island, Georgia.

We often find ourselves at the beach during the summer and it is safe to say that LB will typically plan a vacation to a beach or someplace tropical every summer.

LB and I have enjoyed three summer vacations on

Sanibel Island and Captiva Island

Each time some bizarre event occurs. On our first trip to Sanibel, while we were “beach combing” one afternoon, a fisherman staggered over to where we had set up camp and took a seat in one of our beach chairs. He had managed to HOOK HIMSELF through his boot and into his foot.

The fisherman managed to stay calm, took out his multi-functional tool, and began to operate, while LB stood by for moral support.

Being that I am likely to faint on such occasions, I snapped a couple of pictures and quickly excused myself.

Happily all ended well.

Then there was that time while enjoying a birthday/summer vacation in Captiva that LB rushed me to the ER at 6AM to learn that my heart is in excellent condition. Apparently I’m prone to panic attacks when I have a birthday. Those photos are locked away in my photo vault [for never sharing].

Recently we have found that

Taking a Cruise

is a great way to enjoy summer vacation.

There are so many things to do on the shipand on excursions to the shore

and engaging in other things that you know better than

there’s never a dull summer moment!

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Friday Favorites ~ Birthday Edition

June 8, 2018

June brings with it another birthday for myself and several others in my family (subject for another post).

Because this week has pretty much been all about birthdays, I’m sharing a special edition of my Friday Favorites!

Favorite # ONE

Babies and Birthday Cake

Although my birthday falls on June 1^st, the party begins on the evening of May 31^st. This year Mama made good on her promise and prepared biscuits and gravy (as only she can) for a special birthday dinner.

Followed by dessert…Several family members joined us at her home to celebrate.Two sweet babies were among the group.

LB snapped these photos with Rory and Lydia while I opened the gifts that were so graciously given to me.

While Lydia enjoyed seeing Glammy’s Birthday cards and gifts, Rory wasn’t quite as excited.I LOVE that face!

Favorite # TWO

A Birthday Outfit

(not to be confused with a Birthday Suit)

handpicked by a Fashion Diva.

Stephanie and Amanda will sometimes join forces to give gifts on special occasions. Stephanie has a particular flair for putting cute outfits together and for taking selfies.

She mentioned that she had picked several outfits and narrowed the prospects down to three.

This one was the winner

Favorite # THREE

A Fancy Birthday Gift

LB took a trip to the St. Johns Town Center this week where he visited the Coach store.

He has such good taste.And he even knows what colors are trending this season.

Favorite # FOUR

A Birthday Vacation

with LB

Beginning with a Friday night concert in the rain and ending with a sunny day on the beach. Every trip with LB is an adventure!

Favorite # FIVE

A Happy Together Birthday Surprise

Since we enjoyed it so much last year, LB made arrangements for us to attend this year’s Happy Together Tour at the Florida Theater.

The concert began with the Cowsills who are a family of singers that were the inspiration for the Partridge Family. Just as was the case last year, one of my favorites last night was “I Love the Flower Girl“.

(I knew I knew I knew I knew stuck in my head again).

Next up was Mark Lindsay (the voice of Paul Revere and the Raiders). I didn’t recognize any of his songs, but I was very familiar with the group that followed. The Association took the stage and sang quite a few favorites.

Another favorite for the evening was Gary Puckett (the Union Gap) hence the uniform.

Gary Puckett was not part of the tour last year, but such a great addition. Everyone enjoyed singing along with Gary as he shared a few of his 1967 hits.

Another fun singalong was a former member of Three Dog Night, Chuck Negron, who ended his set with “Jeremiah was a Bullfrog”.

And last but not least, one of the original Turtles, Mark Volman took the stage along with friend Ron Dante (from the Archie’s music). Ron was standing in for Turtle member Howard Kaylan who was unable to be a part of the tour this year.

The event wrapped up with all of the artists coming to the stage to share a short clip of one of their previously performed songs and together wishing the audience good night. It was an evening of great music!

Still stuck in my head today:

https://youtu.be/BiMCTjO_dHI

Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.

Vacation Planning

May 22, 2017

Summer is on the way and with it comes VACATION planning. Luckily for me, LB does all the general trip planning, making travel arrangements and hotel reservations. All I have to do is take time off from work (no need to twist my arm).

Then comes wardrobe planning. Although this sounds fairly simple, I start thinking about it at least a week in advance to be sure I don’t forget anything and can fit it all into one suitcase. Actually fitting everything into one suitcase shouldn’t be an issue as mine is big enough to throw out your back. LB knows.

If you do a google search for tropical/beach vacation packing, you’ll likely find a strategy that involves a list of items that you can mix and match. It looks something like this:

· 2 swimsuits, and if they are 2-pieces, make sure the bottoms coordinate with the tops so you have even more options
· 2 tunics and/or 2 sundresses (to total 2) that will serve as cover-ups by day and going out pieces by night
· 3-7 pairs panties and 2-3 bras, depending on washer/dryer availability
· PJ’s
· 2-3 pairs of gym shorts (if you plan to work out), depending on washer/dryer availability (remember, you can rinse in the sink!)
· 2 t-shirts and 3 tank tops
· 2 going out tops, like a sparkly tank and a linen camp shirt
· One pair shorts, preferably white
· One fun skirt, preferably white
· White jeans
· Light sweater or jacket
· Pashmina
· 1 pair flip flops
· 1 pair trainers or athleisure shoes + socks
· 1 pair wedges
· A colorful statement necklace
· Gold hoop earrings
· A floppy hat that folds in your suitcase
· Toiletries & incidentals (Make travel size toiletries from drug store containers.)
· Make sure to pack electronic chargers.
· Assume a hairdryer is at your hotel/rental house, but you may want to check!
(source)

That is a nice list, and I can use it after I plan like this:

Day 1 (travel): white shorts/orange shirt/tan wedges
Evening 1: same
Day 2: orange swimsuit/Marilyn Tee shirt/orange shorts/orange sandals
Evening 2: white maxi dress/tan wedges
Day 3: black swimsuit/black wrap/black tank/black sandals
Evening 3: navy sundress/tan wedges
Day 4: black/white swimsuit/pom-pom top/denim shorts/flip-flops
Evening 4: multi-colored off the shoulder dress/black sandals
Day 5 (travel): multi-colored romper/orange sandals