Bling Bling!!

Every day I look forward to Tony and I renewing our vows.   This is a celebration of our growth as husband and wife.  We have learned so much about being married in these past 24 years and we both look forward to learning more in the next 24.

 

The pieces of our ceremony are slowly coming together and yesterday the goal was checking out anniversary bands.  I didn't have any preconceived ideas of what I wanted, but I knew that the right band would reach out and speak to me.  What fun I had trying on different styles and shapes.  I was in jewelry heaven!

 

We did find a band and it did indeed speak to me.  We went to Zales and it was the first one I saw.  It's beautiful, but the most beautiful part was after we got home we opened a nice bottle of wine and turned on some music.  I was thumbing through the People Magazine while Tony was opening the wine and all of a sudden, he got down on one knee in front of me with the ring and proposed.  That made me cry.  And that's the kind of thing we have learned over the years--how to touch each other emotionally and express our love. 

 

We are happy and blessed.  

 

Now, check out the bling!!!   2 carats of pure love!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Word Pictures

Tony and I decided to go to a new beach today, Oak Island.  It's about 40 minutes from our house and very nice.

 

We had chairs, a cooler, towels, phones, the umbrella, the umbrella stand, shoes and my bag with magazines and essentials, so when Tony said, "are you taking the camera?"  I was a bit reluctant to weigh us down with anything else.  "No," I said. "I feel like a pack mule when we go to the beach,"  "OK" he answered, "but when you see great potential pictures, don't complain to me."

 

Guess what?  He was right. 

 

He laughed at me as I did complain and said, "Get over it, dear."  I did, because we had a wonderful time, but I decided to record "word" pictures  share with you.

 

The temperature at the beach was at least 8 to 10 degrees lower than inland.  It was windy and sand crunched in my mouth as we set up our chairs.  It was an overcast day, the water was grey and very foamy.  The waves broke in three or four steps before reaching the sand.  By the time it got to the sand, it was slow and clear, but still strong enough to make puzzle like impressions as it ebbed and flowed back into the sea. 

 

We saw brown pelicans as we have so often.  Normally, I try to catch a picture of them diving into the water for fish, but they are too fast for me and leave me clicking empty sky as they fall from the clouds into the water with a mighty splash; catching their prey in victory. 

 

Today, they posed.  There were 10 of them in a line with exactly the same amount of space in between each one.   They faced the water in profile and seemed to know the drill very well.  They smiled at me as they flew directly over us before going to the water and posing again, screaming at me, "OK, take the picture, I'm hovering above the water for you before I make this glorious dive to catch a fish."   One by one, following the leader, each bird splashed into the water, with the splash coming at least 3 feet above the water line.  They stayed under water for just a moment, but flew up into the sky victorious.  They caught their fish.  I missed it.

 

Then, we saw sky divers.  Yep, sky divers. They shouldn't have been out in this weather, but there they were.   Their parachutes were green against a white and grey sky. They went in and out of clouds that had  dark bottoms and wispy tops.   The wind was whipping them head over heals and from side to side until it finally pushed them down to earth.  There were two of them who emerged out of the clouds....truly, out of no where, and found their way safely to earth. 

 

I missed so much with my lens, but I saw so much with my eyes and ears.  Tony looked wonderful.  He is tan and beautiful.  We talked about so many things--our vow renewal, our children, our grandchildren, my new job, the things we want to do before I start working, and how we love each other.  We talked about being happy and I couldn't capture that with a lens no matter how much I tried.  

 

It was a wonderful time.  I will post pictures of pelicans and sky divers on another blog.  I wouldn't have traded this time for anything.  I hope I gave you word pictures of our day. 

 

 

1.....GOOEY MESS!

How quickly this past year has gone.  Coleton is 1 today.  Tony, Marie's Mom, Mona and I were talking about his birth yesterday in Charlotte at his birthday party.  Marie's labor went on for hours.  And, it was an emotional time when Tony Jr. finally came out of the delivery room and said, "Dad, I have a son."

We celebrated him yesterday in a park near where Tony and Marie live.  The weather was a problem, it just poured for the first hour of the party.  We were huddled under a pavilion fighting humidity and bugs, but then, the sun came out and we had a great time.

Coleton really got into his smash cake and literally ate 98% of it.  He was a sweet mess and seemed to know that this day was about him.  He was charming and entertaining. 

David came  up from Tampa for the occasion and their Aunt Cindy came down from Cleveland (as did Mona.) 

So, with friends and family present, Coleton celebrated a milestone in his own way and his own style!!

Check out the big birthday boy!

The hat didn't stay on for long!

He had his arm raised the whole time we were singing...it was like he was saying "I'm number 1!!!!!"

Ah, the first touch....

And the first taste!!  He liked it!

He REALLY liked it!

The big boy and the "rents"

So far, only one hand is dirty!

 

This is what he will look like with a moustache!

He ate, and ate and ate....this is what was left!  Notice that now, both hands are dirty as are his arms, hair and ear!

Papa got a bit too close to the blue frosting on Coleton's hands!

Pretty boy, pretty mama

This is the "before" picture of the smash cake and cupcakes!

Uncle David was a great chef!!!

EMPLOYED!!

Is it just me, or does the sun shine brighter when you are happy?

 

After a year and a half of rejection I have a job!  Starting August 19, I will be working for the hospital in the Patient Registration area where I have been volunteering for the past 7 months.

 

I have never been more excited to earn so little money in my life!

 

The only thing better than this is that Tony came  home last night, safe and sound.

 

Life is good.

 

 

 

Just Baby And Me.....

Every year Tony takes a trip either for a Parker affair or to see friends/relatives.  He is gone now to see his aunt in Baltimore and his friends in New York.  That means Dixie and I are flying solo.

I have often written how much I miss Tony during these times.  The house is quiet, I don't laugh and there is no food (well, good food, anyway, Tony made sure I had enough to eat....)

 

Well, this trip is much the same, but this morning I had to get up early to let Dixie out AND handle the garbage.  I told Dixie at one point, "your father has a terrible schedule...getting up this early sucks."  At which point, Dixie just barked and went to the studio door looking for Tony.   I think she agreed. 

I have talked to Tony a few times since he left.  It sounds like his visit with his aunt went well except for traffic getting into the DC area.  He took her for McDonalds pancakes this morning and I'm sure that was a treat for both of them.  He took tons of pictures of all of our family and the house with him so his cousins and aunt are updated.

In Dixie news, she made her first "floor to couch" jump last night.  I was messing with my phone and she had her paws on the couch cushion where I was sitting.  The next thing I knew, there was a dog in my lap.  She looked quite pleased with herself.  After a while, I put her down (she was taking up more of the couch than I was....!!) but she wasn't happy with this arrangement.  She backed up by the coffee table, took a running leap and landed on the couch again.  After that, I found that she was able to jump up on my cedar chest in the bedroom.  She got into a tube of cortisone I use for the psoriasis on  my legs and put at least a dozen puppy bites into the plastic tube.  When I squeezed it to see what was left, the cortisone came out of all of the little teeth holes.  I watched her to see if she was sick, but she seemed to be OK. 

 

Dixie is not taking Tony's absence as well as I.  She spends a great deal of time at the studio door, scratching and barking (I'm only sleeping on his side of the bed and waking up every hour!)  She goes to the laundry room and sits by the door to the garage and cries and she is constantly jumping up on the front door to see if Tony is coming home.   She will try to jump up on his reclining chair and cries when she is not picked up.  She is definitely a daddy's dog.  She looks for him in our bedroom and will scratch his closet door and bark to see if he answers. 

 

When he is home, she will go to our bedroom and sleep behind my night stand, since he has been gone, she has been sleeping on his side of the bed in front of his night stand.   She really knows that he is gone.  It's like she wants to be in a place where he will find her when he gets back.

 

My interview at the hospital was OK.  I'm not getting overly confident since I have been down that road before and have been disappointed.  I am going to pick up another volunteer day starting next week--Monday from 8:00 to 12:00, in addition to my regular Wednesday from 12:00 to 4:00.  I am also on the Diabetes Awareness Committee and the Birth Card Redesign Committee, so I am staying busy at the hospital while I hold my breath to see if I will be hired. 

 

It has been raining terribly this month, as it did in June.  Last night, I thought Noah was going to  show up in the arc to pick up Dixie and me.  There was lightening and thunder and tons of rain.  This morning was "arm pit" weather---sticky, stinky and damp.   The road had its say as I was travelling to the hospital--the standing water and heavy down pour kept all of us at 40 miles an hour instead of our regular 65.

 

Not much else is new.  Tony just called to tell me that he arrived in NY despite the weather, so I am glad of that.   I will, of course, be happy to have him home, but it also pleases me that he is doing something to make himself happy.  He doesn't do that often enough.

 

Here is Dixie's most common looks since Tony left:

 

 

"Daddy, come home....Mommy can't cook....."

 

"I think I heard Daddy's car....."

 

 

 

 

I Feel Pretty

Did you ever notice how you feel when you really need a haircut?  Your bangs hang down in your face and you can hardly see what you're doing.   You never think you look good, you think you look older and fatter.  But, once you get that cut, you feel great and  you look fantastic.

 

Check out Dixie, who had her second "hair" appointment today!  What a difference a dog makes......

 

 

The Before Shots!!

 

 

 

 

Introducing the new and improved, Dixie!!  Half of the dog we dropped off!

 

 

 

 



Life Updates

It's been a while since I caught everyone up on life in general down here.   Since we got Dixie, she has been our focus.  She's doing well.  We had her "fixed" last week and she has settled down a bit.  She weighs 6 pounds and should top out around 10 pounds.  She is losing her baby teeth and hopefully her "grown up" teeth won't be as sharp.  Tony and I look like the walking wounded with all of the Dixie bites on our hands. 

 

Tony and I have met some new people who recently moved in and are very nice.  David and Chris are originally from England and then moved to South Africa.  David does computer work and will be working from home here in Compass Pointe.  I'm not sure what Chris does, but they are fun to be around.  This evening we are going over to Stu and Jan Friedman's for dinner and are spending July 4, with Rhoda and Jim Chinni.  We are getting to be quite the social butterflies!  That's something we didn't have a chance to be or do when we were in Cleveland.  By the time we both used to get home from work we were too tired to be social to anyone but each other. 

 

Our development continues to grow.  Tony and I have hosted a table for potential buyers a few times last month at the Hilton.  People are coming down from New York and New Jersey and buying and there are building sites all over.   The house that is being built next door dwarfs ours and effectively blocks out our view of the circle near us.  Right now, there is no siding so it looks like this giant black mass waiting for skin. 

 

Tony has been painting and doing some wonderful work.  He finished a growth chart for Coleton recently and is working on something for me now.          I can't wait to hang another original "Swegle" in our home.  He rides his bike on a regular basis and continues to work in the yard.   He is tan and of course, the cutest guy in the development!

 

Unfortunately, it's "same old, same old," for me.  Over a year and a half of not working.  I had an interview last week for an Operations position with a promotional firm.  The "offer" was that I would have to work from June to December with no pay...and I would only get paid if the event was successful.  No pay, no benefits, just a lot of work for perhaps nothing.  I was solicited by an energy company to be one of their "entrepreneurs" who sells energy solutions to various businesses.  Again, no bi-weekly pay, no benefits--just lots of risk. 

 

I worked 3 days at the hospital the past 2 weeks--covering for vacations.  I have also applied for a position in the department where I volunteer.  I enjoy the people and the work--I feel like I am doing something valuable  by helping the patients.  I borrowed some one's pedometer at the hospital and found out that I walked 3.3 miles while I was there.   I am still going to Weight Watchers and tracking my points.  I lose ounces and gain pounds.  I think I have lost the same 5 pounds at least four times since I started.  I have started exercising in the morning--I tried to do Yoga, but it's been so long since I did it or Pilate's, that my legs weren't very strong.  So, I am working to build up my ability and flexibility.  Speaking of my legs--my psoriasis is still an issue.  I have a dermatologist appoint mid-August.  I just wish it would go away.  

 

It's been raining almost everyday here lately.  Someone told me that Wilmington got 9 inches of rain in June and so far, it's continuing into July.   I can't remember the last time we played corn hole and Dixie is a wet mess when she comes in from outside. 

 

We miss the grandchildren and all the noise of love that used to be in the house from time to time.  But, we are enjoying our days together.  For every day I spend with Tony I want 10 more.  We have fun and do things with and for each other (and Tony being Tony, he does more for me...no surprise there!)   I feel like I am "semi" retired but hope I will be in the workforce soon. 

 

So, that's our update.   We love our life and all of our children and grandchildren, too.

 

Dixie guarding the house....nothing gets past her!

 

Dixie guarding the newspaper--even the one in her mouth...

 

Dixie guarding her toys!

 

The view of next door...

 

The giant.....

 

New construction across the street.

 

Building, building, building...

 

Our view from the front....