Trip out west......

Have you ever taken a trip out west? I mean to the western side of the United States? Well, I did and its not fun. I guess if I am going to be on a plane for 5 hours without stopping that I would like to get out and see water, palm trees and someone greeting me with a fruity drink with an umbrella. That would be the Bahamas or Jamaica or maybe even Mexico.
We went to Las Vegas, the better known is "Sin City". If you haven't been there don't be amazed to find out but its really a lot nicer than any place you have been, unless maybe you have been to Dubai or somewhere like that.
What amazes me is that there is so much money being spent in one several mile strip of land. We stay at Ceasars Palace and we like that hotel. I had a great room with views overlooking the strip and the Ballagio Water Fountain display. Even if you haven't been to Las Vegas most have seen the fountains on shows. It was nice except when I went to sleep at night they still did the fountain show and even on the 38th floor you could hear the booms of the water flowing!
Speaking of money I heard that they now have some hotels owned by some of the people from Dubai so that may mean more changes in the strip in the future. I have never seen so many Prada, Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Coach, BEBE, and other high end stores in every hotel. Its totally amazing because the stuff is so expensive in those hotel shops.
We learned a long time ago to take some money to just "gamble" with, but don't plan on bringing any home. We were doing pretty well, until Saturday we were up (using their money). But by 10 pm on Saturday night we successfully gave it all back to them and got ready to come home. My hubby likes the "Wheel of Fortune" and did quite well on the machines hitting several $1000. hits on the wheel. Well, I would have "cashed out" and gone to the mall, but no he was determined to give it back one way or another!
He was up one time at about $2500.00, but successfully gave it to them in several spins!!!
It is fun but basically we played with their money most of the week.
We saw some great shows, like "The Blue Man Group", Terry Fator (a ventriloquist who won America's got Talent) and Elvis Cirque De Solei. The biggest highlight (NOT) was seeing Englebert Humperdinck. Most of you may say who the heck is he?? He was popular back in the 70's and it was obvious when all the "grey haired" old ladies came running up to the stage at the end of his show. I remember him, but not impressed with all the hype!! He is a good singer but not my favorite!!! Most of you remember your mom watching him. We did go see Holly Madison's "Peep Show"(Hugh Hefners old girlfriend who was on his show) and what they peeped and showed me about Holly is that she needs to lose her "paunch" of a belly before she removes that corset the next time!!! :)
Overall we had a good time.
Some things I don't think I will forget about this trip....

Seeing Teresa and Jania Tibbs, my friend who lived in Havelock and has moved to Vegas about 10 years ago, her new baby is darling and T is still the same old friend.

Watching some idiot pay money to skydive 988 feet down to the bottom of the Stratosphere Hotel.

Spending cab money to go to "Gold and Silver Pawn" the pawnshop featured on Pawn Stars. NO we didn't see Chumlee!

The first time I didn't go to bed at 8 pm when in Vegas the first night to make up for the time difference.

The trip to Red Rock Canyon and the Burrow that came up to our bus looking for us to feed him.

The best part of the trip was the chance to spend the week with my husband and to have each other's attention exclusively! I like that very much as well as the two Creme Brulee's we had together.

Vegas has a lot to offer to anyone, even if you don't like to gamble. Of course you can even do the penny slots and think you are winning a bundle. Its just fun to do something like this every once in awhile for a change of pace. I really was ready to get home and sleep in my own bed, even if it meant coming back to colder weather.
I'm happy to get home and have the comforts of my own home, but I did enjoy that maid who stopped by and cleaned things up for us each morning!!!

Have a wonderful Valentines Day, I wish each and ever one of you love and happiness.

Vacation time......

Who out there wouldn't want a vacation about now? I don't think anyone in this country would not be game to go somewhere that is a different place than where they now are. Have you thought about it at all? I have and have decided to take a few vacations in the next few months. I will be leaving to go to Vegas soon. Have you ever been there? Its a great place, lots to do, plenty of shows, places to see and things to do. Normally we don't go to just gamble but I have been known to do a little slot machine action. I love the "Wheel of Fortune" games. I have played them many times and they are a lot of fun. Usually we play the $1.00 slot so that we can make more money. I played one time and won $2500.00 in one spin. Yes, the lights went to blinking and the machine has a bell that just rings until someone comes and shuts it off. No, the little machine doesn't dispense $2500.00 in quarters they do it in dollar bills. $100.00 dollar bills to be exact. Now let me tell you that if you win this kind of money you can do one of two things, One, being continue to play and give it all back to the casino over a time span or Two (which is what I did) I cashed in and got my cash immediately. One does not continue to win that kind of money, so I did what most good frugal females do, I Went Shopping!! Oh, I did forget to mention that if you do choose to "cash out" they take your name, address and social security number, then at the end of the year you get what they call a 1099 form to claim those winnings as income. Why does the government have to have their hand in my pocket even when I am on vacation.
On another visit my husband did win several $1000.00 spins on the wheel. On this particular game they have a "Wheel of Fortune" symbol and if you get that you get a bonus spin from the wheel. If you are playing the $1.00 slots and you hit the $1000. guess what you win!!! Yes, very fun!!! He isn't as greedy as me so he sometimes plays more and gives half of it back. You don't get those big fancy places in the middle of the desert from giving people money to take home, do you??
So, who wouldn't want or need a Vacation just about this time of year? I know its cold where you are or colder than it should be where you are so how about thinking about a vacation.
Many of you haven't been to my part of the world but there are a lot of people who come to my part of the world for their vacation. I know a lot of people have gone to the Northern Outer Banks of NC, but you really need to explore going a bit further south to Emerald Isle, NC. We have a great family beach with plenty to do, if you like to golf or sit on the beach there is something here for you. We have a Historic Civil War Fort, a state Aquarium and plenty to do to keep you busy.
People are finally thinking about their vacation...... our phones have been busy and houses are filling up fast. You can go to our website at www.bluewaternc.com to see what we have to offer. We are only 6 hrs from DC and 7.5 hours from Pennsylvania visitors. If you bookmark us you will find that we run specials. Ending today you can get $100.00 off your vacation cost if you book by today. Who knows what next month is, but you can book an oceanfront room for one night or more or a house for a week or more. Good thing is we have something for everyone.
So, who's on board for a vacation? I know I am, and if you plan to come here, let me know, I'll see what I can do to help you find a deal on some of the best vacation real estate in NC. We may not be Vegas, but we have a lot of fun things to do and if you really want to gamble, I will be sure to get you some lottery ticket to take your chances with.
Best of all when you take your vacation with Bluewater you can see some of the most breathtaking sunsets like the one in this blog taken last evening. You will fall in love with our little area, but remember don't keep it a secret, tell everyone you know!!

Pelicans

This morning as I was getting ready for work, I kept noticing the big ripples in the water outside my bathroom window. Now keep in mind I see lots of things out of this window so I thought what could be making the water move so much? I continued to look seeing some small mallard ducks with little ducklings floating around. It was like they were having swimming lessons out there. Occasionally I do see a Blue Heron or a White Heron all tucked up on the shoreline but today it was neither of them. It was a flock of Pelicans.
Now keep in mind we live on a creek that actually kind of winds around behind the house and this is on the side, so I see these Pelicans diving at the water. I started walking to the bedroom window to get a better view and suddenly I saw a bunch of them. I counted 10 at first and then when they were all floating on the water , I counted 17 in all. It was quite a show as they dove at fish and swam and then they would take off and do it all again. It lasted about 10 minutes in all and it was pretty cool. I took a few pictures to give you a bit of an idea but I did get some really good ones that I will post on my facebook page. It was just something you don't see everyday.
It appears to be a secluded area that they come to but it was quite a show for us. My husband got some really good close up pictures on his camera with the big lense. I will get them on line for you to see, Its unique living on the water you never know what it going to happen next . If I can get some pictures of them in a flock I will get them but to see so many of these large birds in one place having a playtime on the water was pretty neat.
Who knows maybe the White Herons or a pod of Dolphin will show up next time.....

Tuesday........

A lot of things have been on my mind this past few days.
One that my wish for the snow certainly came true. Yes, it was beautiful and fell so much that we ended up with 7" on the ground. Of course there were others that didn't get any snow at all but we had our share I got to get more photos and just sat and watched. By Sunday morning it was melting off the roads and by that evening most roads were clear. So why does everyone get their panties in a wad when snow falls? I know I can't figure it out either except that it causes you to take a breather and it keeps you in one place for maybe 12 hours before the sun shines and it melts away.
Football was a big deal this past weekend. We all tuned in to see who was going to be i the Superbowl in a few weeks. This is the only time I really take an interest in the games, so we watched. I decided ( for lack of a better reason) to root for Pittsburgh, simply because it is the only team from Pennsylvania or any other state that I have ever lived. So, I guess I will watch in 2 weeks and pull for the Black and Gold.
Rain, is back yet again and like I said in my prior blog about Snow, it is already all gone so what little inconvenience it caused its gone already! But now its just chilly and raining, and not a pleasant day today.
Crud, another thing we haven't decided what exactly it is, but my hubby has it. Yes, if you remember when your children were about 3-4 and when they got sick how "needy" and "whiny" they were; Picture that but in a man!!! No, seriously he hasn't been too bad, but then again I had a class today that started at 8:30 so I had to get up and out early. Around here they are calling it the "Carteret Crud" which settles eventually in your chest with coughing and running nose. Yes, I have been steering clear, wiping everything down and not using the remote unless it is cleaned first. Earlier he was coughing without covering which is something that he hates when people do that. So, of course my standard comment when the kids do this is "cover your mouth". I got to tell him that and of course he said he was coughing in another direction!!! Pleeaassee!! Hopefully I will come out of this unscathed and he gets over it fast!!! If not I don't know what I will do

One thing I would like everyone to do is say a prayer tonight for three people I know.
1. My daughters Grandpa (my ex's dad) had surgery today to remove a blockage and I pray that he will be ok and will be out of the hospital tomorrow.
2.& 3. A friend of ours has a niece who was in desperate need of a kidney. He was a perfect match and tomorrow he will be donating one of his kidney's to this 6 year old niece. Pray that the operations go well for both Jamie and his niece and that it is successful, as this child has had to be on dialysis 15 hrs or so per day.
Talk about paying it forward....... need we say more.
Until later in the week, remember to do something nice for someone today and don't look for anything in return.

SNOW???

Snow its been in the news a lot lately.....Snow in eastern NC is like really rare, at least until this winter. Usually if we see snow or anything that looks like snow it is in the late part of Winter. That in this area is sometime in late January early February. Last year it was Valentines Day weekend we got 7 inches of snow. Remember that? It was very rare, we had fun playing, taking pictures and then the next day or so it was gone.
Yes, fortunately when the white stuff arrives in the south, it usually stays for less than 48 hours. We run out make snowmen, play in it and then by the next morning its all melted and gone. Yes, its nice but only for a short time.
Well the day after Christmas this past year it started snowing and we got about 5 inches of the white fluffy stuff. It was pretty and it made for a pretty weekend of Christmas. Then again last week it came again, in big flakes.... it did it most of the day and again by the next afternoon it was gone for the most part. In some of the more shaded areas it took until earlier this week when it rained to finally get rid of it all.
I hate to say this but I LOVE the SNOW. Now you my friends in the North are saying under your breath, "what kind of idiot is she???" or "Move back up here and you won't say that!" Yes, I really think it is the fact that when it arrives it does its thing and then its like "POOF" its gone again. Really doesn't make it too inconvienient for us and we go on.
Then I think back to when I lived in the North and was in school. We prayed for "Snow Days" back then. We rode the bus to school and of course they would cancel or make it a delay because so many kids rode the bus back then. Then there are the memories of the snowball fights with my brothers and sisters. When we were in high school we used to go the Winding Hill out by the little church that sits at the top of the hill. One night we went there with a bunch of kids and we had 24 people on one toboggan! Yes, it was a strain on that toboggan. It was a super steep hill so we put all of us on it and off we went, over the hill we went and it actually "caught air" one time. Then it happened, crack, snap and "oh no" the toboggan snapped in half when we hit! Every one of the 24 people on that toboggan went flying in many directions, laughing as hard as we could at the thought that we could actually make it to the bottom with all those people on it!!! I remember it like it was yesterday. When I was home in PA in October I drove up Winding HIll road to see if the toboggan hill was there, yes, it is but now its filled with many homes and no more space for sledding. Just goes to show you that things always change!
Sorry for that little side note. But back to my subject, tomorrow the weather forcast is back to SNOW again. It is supposed to be incredibly cold tomorrow and they are calling for precipitation. They said that the only area that is to get snow is the immediate coast, well that means US!!! Yes, I secretly say to myself, because I can sit and watch it like a child and remember the times I had and the fun we had back in PA and how much I like the snow.
I'll let you know it it comes or not, but if not they are calling for it again next Wednesday..... so I will keep my fingers and toes crossed, maybe we will be lucky to see it again before the spring sets in.
Yes, I love the warm weather, but I always say if its gonna be cold like this, it might as well SNOW!!!

Rainy Days and Mondays

The title reminds me of one of my favorite singers The Carpenters and their song Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down. Today was both! It started out a bit sunny but very quickly it became cool and cloudy with lots of rain. Nothing really hard coming down, just constant! I am sure glad its not like last monday when it was snow coming down. The rain has assured us that the little bit of snow that was left on the shaded areas of the sides of the road are now gone! Too bad, I really enjoy the snow and we have had so much more than what we have had in the last 22 years!! With that said not only did we have rain on a monday but then my son called to say that his little guy was not feeling well and was running a fever. :( I was sad as we were going to hang out a little and he was going to play with his cousins, Ben and Connor. So, instead I went to his place and we played Yatzee. He hasn't played this much but he caught on really quickly and ended up beating me. No, I didn't let him beat me, he actually got a Yatzee and pulled it out by 5 points!!
Just got the call from his mom that he has made it back to the DC area and is headed home to get ready for another week at school. I really miss that little guy, he brings such joy to me and my hubby and we love having him here. Won't be long that the nest will be filled with another little screamer when baby Bailee arrives in late March/early April. I am sure there will be days when I think what was I thinking wanting another baby here!!! :) I just love them and can't wait til everyone brings me more babies to hang out at my house. I am so looking forward to next Christmas!!
So, did you watch the Golden Globes? I caught some of them, and wondered how I have missed so much on the TV and at the movies. We go to the movies almost every friday night but somehow I missed the ones that happened to win. I guess either the romantic comedies aren't good enough to win awards or maybe they just are boring. I noticed that many of the winners I hadn't even heard of those movies or shows. Like Boardwalk enterprise or something like that??? Finally after last years awards season I decided to watch the show Mad Men just to see why they won so much!! Not bad by the way.
I guess if the Housewives of Beverly Hills or New York were more interesting they would be winners and I would have a good reason to watch the awards shows. I can only see the lady from Beverly Hills carrying her little pooch dressed in a matching outfit walking up on the stage to accept her award for being so rich and full of Botox and fillers that she can't break a smile!!
I'm sure that they will never even be in the running.
One show I am going to watch tonight is "Harry's Law" which is about a woman judge who happens to be played by Kathy Bates. I love her and think she will be good. I believe it is written by the same people who did Ally McBeal and LA Law. Check it out or DVR it on NBC.
One thing I think everyone needs to do is to check out the cable system in your area for a channel that is called Primetime On Demand. It totally removes the need to DVR anything and to go back and watch up to 4 of the most recent episodes on most of your popular channels without any commercials!!! Yes, the day has come you can watch it the whole way thru without having to fast forward or watch any of those 10 minutes of commercials. Check it out, you will be glad you did.
Well, lets hope that the rain goes away and the sun shines again. It almost felt like we had a heat wave this morning with the temperatures in the high 40's!! That is so funny because we have never had this much cold for this long in North Carolina, but isn't it all about EL NINA or something like that????
Hope your week started out good, and if your Monday wasn't good then I pray that the remainder of the week will improve as the days move on.
Until the next time...........

Some thoughts.....

A lot of things come to mind this evening that made me think I ought to blog about.......
I learned a long time ago that most people don't have a clue what is going on in your world, nor do they want to know unless its really juicy stuff they can tell others.
I follow a blog of a woman who has 6 children has been blogging for awhile sharing her stories about motherhood and childbearing. It is pretty funny, but lately hasn't been so. Her hubby left her and the 6 kids last year and has basically had no contact with the kids. This has effected the kids especially the older ones, to the point they have been hospitalized for depression issues. Yesterday, her ex let her know ( thru text message no less) that he was fired from his job. Bingo when you think nothing could get worse here is was for her. I am asking you to read her blog and do what you can to help. She just wrote a wonderfully funny book on childbirth and other funny things and you can help by purchasing her book (http://mom2my6pack.blogspot.com/). Even if you aren't going thru that part of your life anymore it still is very amusing and you will laugh and remember when you went thru those things, as well as helping out a mother who really needs it right now.
Another thing is that most of us are going thru very tough times with our economy the way it is. I am hoping that you will pray for all of those who have come upon tough times. You really never know what is happening in other peoples lives and be careful not to judge others because you really have no clue. I pray each and every day things will get better for this economy and that one way or another things improve for all of us.
Most of all try to stay positive and make a commitment to do something for someone else tomorrow other than yourself. Try not to judge others for doing or not doing what you think they should be doing. Start your day by thanking the good Lord you have a warm bed to sleep in, food in your stomach and for most of us a job to call our own. You are not alone when you feel that things aren't going as you would like, but for some reason we all have to go thru this together. You make a choice each day to either do what it takes to be happy that day or let yourself be depressed and sad.
I always look at things from the glass half full perspective. Be glad for the things you do have, instead of the things you wish you had or think you want.
I am glad that I am healthy, my husband has his health and all of my kids and grandkids are healthy. Yes, I like many have those aches and pains, but at least I can move, I can do and I can make a difference.
What are you going to do to be positive today??????