My goal in life.....

My goal in life 

is to be as good of a person as my

dog already thinks I am.

- Author Unknown -

Monkey,  one day you will have a pet that will touch your heart unlike any other.....

The pet will come into your life at a time you didn't 

even know you "needed" it rather than "wanted" it.....

I can't wait for the day you meet Bubby Reagan.....

Bubby Reagan I love you - doody, doody, doody do !!!  

( p.s. that's your Cousin Gail's favorite song)

Reagan

You never know how strong you are.....

You never know how strong you are.....

until being strong is the only choice you have.

Monkey, we have begun the countdown to the day that my calendar pages 

have "fun" things written on each page rather than doctor appointments.....

Finding out that I have been accepted as a patient at the Mayo Clinic is an

answer to so many prayers.....regardless of the outcome Papa, Mommy, Daddy, and Uncle Cole will 

know that we have all done everything we could, 

and that I have received the best care available so that I can hope to one day 

lead a happy and healthy life filled with loving and spoiling you.....

"we've got this Monkey, I just KNOW it".

Never get tired of doing little things for others.....

Never get tired of doing little things for others.....

sometimes those little things occupy the biggest 

part of their hearts.

Monkey,  it really is the little things in life that mean so much.....

the dinners may not have been fancy but I didn't have to cook them, I didn't have to go to the grocery store to buy them and I didn't even have to decide "what's for dinner tonight".....

Like I said - it's the "little things"

Surprise # 2 of the week !!!

Thank you Cole !!!

We'll be friends forever.....

"We'll be friends forever, won't we, pooh?" asked piglet.

Even longer.....

pooh answered.

Monkey, today is a day to celebrate Aunt Penny on her birthday.....

The years have been kind to our friendship and I truly hope you one day you find your own

Aunt Penny.....

We are a continent apart but only a phone call away.....

Every visit reminds me how lucky I am to call this special person my friend.....

One day soon you'll find out for yourself how special she is - and that big fat grumpy guy -

well that's Mooch......or is it Uncle Matt ???

Happy Birthday Aunt Penny

It's kind of fun.....

It's kind of fun

to do the impossible.

- Walt Disney -

Monkey, people ask us all the time - does it ever get old? aren't you tired of the same thing?

aren't you bored? do you ever find something new to see?

We answer - no, no, no, and YES !!!!!

The best wines.....

The best wines 

are the ones we drink

with FRIENDS

Sept 11, 2015

Monkey, dinner spent with friends are some of the best moments you could ever imagine....

We could never hope to recreate the meals these 2 prepare for us in their home

but these friends don't care - to them it's about what matters - friendship.

Made even more special is that your Aunt Penny and Uncle Matt supplied the wine for tonights dinner, therefore, the best wines are TRULY the ones we drink with friends.

We love you Cicily and Simon - thank you for putting "friend" into our friendship.

Travel and change.....

Travel and change of place

impart new vigor to the mind.

- Seneca -

September 6, 2015

And all too soon, it's time to leave....

But it's true - there's no place like home !!!

".....that we here highly resolve.....

".....that we here highly resolve that these dead 

shall not have died in vain:

that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom:

and that this government of the people,

by the people,

for the people,

shall not perish from the earth.

- President Lincoln -

Gettysburg Address

Monkey, 14 years ago tragedy struck our country......

So many innocent lives were lost in a moment.....

The unthinkable had happened, the United States of America was under a terrorist attack.

First,  an American Airlines plane was flown into the 

North Tower of the World Trade Center.....

How could that have happened everyone was wondering.....

It was a picture perfect beautiful September morning in New York City.....

Minutes later a United Airlines plane met the same fate - it was flown into the South Tower of the World Trade Center.....

The terrorists weren't satisfied, they weren't finished.....

The Pentagon was the next target.....

No one really knows the "target" of the last plane that crashed into the Pennsylvania countryside but the bravery of those on board will be remembered forever - they knew all those onboard their plane were going to perish but they were not going to go down without a fight......

"We will never forget"

Monkey, it's these moments you hope never happen but it's these moments that will be impossible to forget.....ask anyone and they can tell you exactly where they were when the attacks began.....

Your mommy was at Cousin Gail's house, a week from moving into her dorm room at college.....

Papa was in Detroit ready to fly to Amsterdam.....

I was at an awards assembly for your Uncle Cole.....

14 years later and it's as if it happened yesterday.....

May we all be thankful for those men and women who gave their lives that day, thankful and blessed for those men and women who fight daily for our freedom.....

And may we all live each day as if it may be our last.

"We will never forget"

A good traveler.....

A good traveler has no fixed plans

and is not intent on arriving.

- Lao Tzu -

September 5, 2015

Amsterdam

As always, glancing out the plane window upon arrival at any destination I pinch myself to make sure it's real and to marvel again at how truly blessed I am.

As always Amsterdam welcomed us with all it's glory....

whether we were strolling the streets.....

or tasting some of the local "street" food and taking a few "selfies".....

we were back in the city we loved and we were there together.

No trip to Amsterdam is complete without a visit to our favorite restaurant

where the food never disappoints and the owners are some of the most wonderful

men we have ever met.

Do not follow where the path may lead.....

Do not follow 

where the path may lead.....

Go instead where there is no path

and leave a trail.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson -

September 4, 2015

Monkey, Papa and I have a city that we love to visit.....

We usually go back a few times a year.....

This past year has been different......

Some "good" different, some "not so good different".....

But as we are realizing - life is short - and it's time to make each and every moment count.

Soooooooo......

when Papa's job takes him to the other side of the world.....

and it's the "moments" that count.....

I took the opportunity to join him in Amsterdam.

JFK Airport - NYC - AMS - Amsterdam

What a surprise I had waiting on my seat when I boarded - yes, the "happy" tears started.

Next stop Amsterdam

As I look back.....

As I look back on my life.....

I realize that every time I thought I was being rejected

from something good.....

I was actually being re-directed

to something better. 

Monkey, most days I smile because "attitude" is everything.....

Yesterday it was hard to smile.....

It wasn't going to help - it wasn't going to help me feel better - 

But Papa jumped in the car with Brinkley and came back with Taco Bell.....

I was wrong - it helped - and I smiled.

Never forget where you came from.....

Never forget

where you came from.....

It's what made you the person

you are today.

Monkey.....

Papa and I love living in Florida.....

We love everything about it,

the palm trees, the endless sunny days, 

and Disney World at our back door.....

but what I miss so much about living in San Diego is the Mexican food -

the true AUTHENTIC Mexican food.

You have a "one in a million" Papa.....

because one day he found for me in Sarasota -

And it was so good.....

and so authentic.....

that my tummy is still smiling.

No one else will ever know.....

No one else will ever know

the strength of your mommy's LOVE

for you.

After all, you're the only one who knows what 

her HEART sounds like

from the inside...

August 29, 2015

Monkey, again today you were celebrated.....

celebrated by some that don't even personally know your mommy very well.....

these women came together as my friends to celebrate friendship and new life.....

These are the women who help me each day want to be a better person,

help put a smile on my face,

and help me face the challenge of a new day.....

On the day you realize you have these kinds of friends,

you too will know, that you have been blessed.