So we had our first snow not quite two weeks ago... it's December, not uncommon. I mentioned how they had a 'blizzard' while I was in FL last week. Well, I guess it wasn't as blizzard like as they were saying it was going to be - but the did get around 8 inches, or so. Still a good amount. Then there was more on Saturday while I was still in FL (Eric was home), but only a couple of inches. 
And today, we got another inch or so, all piling up because it's not getting warm enough to melt. It's pretty and all, but it also means it's cold!
While snow in December is not uncommon, and I wouldn't normally blog about it like this this, what is kind of crazy is that we've had more snow in these first couple of weeks of 'official' winter than we did ALL last winter! We didn't even break the 10 inch mark for snowfall last winter. We're already at/past that (depending in which side of town you're on)!! What does this mean for the rest of winter???
I have to say, I was kind of figuring on a long, cold, snowy winter. We had it too good last year. And our blistering, hot, drought-laced summer wasn't Mother Nature's payback, this COLD, snowy winter is - Old Man Winter had a say in said payback!
*sigh*
And this Florida Girl is not ready for a cold winter. I will try to refrain from too many weather based venting blogs, but I can't promise anything. I don't like the cold. Period.
Wow. Another Christmas has come and gone. Just showing, once again, how fast this year has gone by. But as usual, Christmas was a great time with family and this year, we even missed a blizzard back home (yay!).
Eric and I headed down to FL on Christmas Eve (see previous blog) and were glad we did come Christmas Day, when the snow apparently started falling late in the day, covering Indy in about 8 inches of snow. You know... I just wasn't ready to see it yet, so it's good that it came while I was gone.
Christmas Day. Eric and I spent the morning on a nice drive and short walk on the beach. I love being able to say I was at the beach on Christmas Day, even if it wasn't to catch some waves (or rays!). We actually found the perfect area to go to just north of Ponte Vedra. It was the perfect was to start the day!
We spent much of the afternoon waiting for my sister and her family to get up to Jacksonville (they spent the morning doing their own Christmas, of course). Finally, they made it! And it didn't take long to head to the tree to open gifts. There were some fun surprises for everyone under the tree this year. It still amazes me how it's over so quickly. But the best part is actually being ALL together this one time of year.
So after all the presents were opened, the stockings emptied, and the tummies filled (we had ham AND turkey!), we finally got to relax a bit and just have some good family time together. We spent the rest of Christmas night doing just that - being a family. Well, for the most part. Bubba spent a large portion of the rest of the WEEK playing one of his new games on the Wii. The downfall of giving video games on Christmas,I guess. (Side Note: Eric and I did NOT give him the game - he brought it with him from Palm Bay. Though I can't say I didn't think about getting him one since he's hard to shop for...) For that matter, we never got ALL the family in one converstaion, but everyone was nearby to talk, at least.
The next morning, we had a long overdue family picture taken. We hadn't had one since Eric's and my wedding, and while that was nice, it's nice to have them when someone isn't in a wedding dress. So we spent much more of the morning contemplating the pictures that we planned to buy, which led to a later brunch, which led to Eric having to leave without eating. Well, not eating much, anyway... He had to head south for work stuff - boo! It wasn't a surprise, but a bummer, just the same. But I still had a few days to spend with my family on my own.
And boy did we make the most of it! We hit a few day after Christmas sales on Wednesday - nothing spectacular. Thursday, my mom, sister, and I headed out on a mission to find some frames for the newly acquired family photos. Easier said than done - apparently, 10x13 frames aren't so popular in NE Florida! we ended up out longer than we planned, but we made it back in time for dinner. And in time for a family board game - talk about some good memories! Friday was just a straight-up girls shopping day with mom, my sister, Darian and I. We really stayed out longer than we anticipated - but there were so many good sales and Darian had a bunch of gift cards to use. We didn't close down the mall or anything... but none of us thought we're be out for hours! So yes... a little bit if shopping was done. It was fun!
We had family fun at home, too. Don't think that we're just shopaholics! I think we played some sort of family game each night after shopping. 
I think I had more fun doing that each night! We the kids at the age they're at now (12 and 15), it's a special treat to get them to do anything with you as a family!
Alas, the week had to come to an end. My sister and her family left this evening and I leave tomorrow afternoon. It was a good Christmas. I'll always love my Florida Christmases.
Ah, traveling during the holidays... what fun it is... not.
I'm used to traveling. I don't do as much as I used to, but it doesn't phase me (aside from the trip anxiety the night before, but I'm used to that, too). Eric is very used to traveling, a little more than me (actually, a lot more than me). Even traveling during the holidays, no big deal. But this year...
This year was just kind of weird. We get to the airport and go to check bags, and the ticket agent tells us our flight it delayed and we might miss our connection. So they go ahead and confirm our seats on the NEXT flight out of ATL to JAX without actually changing our initial itinerary - this was just in case (kudos to Delta's customer service - FOR ONCE!). So we got to our gate, and again, unusually good customer service from the gate agent. I'm just not used to it from Delta!
Out flight from IND to ATL ended up being even more delayed than initially thought. But the oddest thing... right before we boarded, Eric and I both got calls from Delta about our flight from ATL to JAX... IT was going to be delayed, too! But it was still going to be close. But we might be able to make it work. Depended on how fast out pilot flew from IND to ATL, first.
I discovered something cool in the air, though... the Delta App on my iPhone works with the plane's wi-fi (gogo inflight) WITHOUT paying for a session. Score! I could keep track of the JAX flight while in the air. The good news was that it was getting pushed back more as we flew!
We land in ATL and check on my app, again, the next flight's status. According to it, we had about 15 minutes before the doors closed. We only had to go over one terminal... we could do this! Maybe.
We book it over to the next terminal, me in my 5 inch heels (I never wear heels when traveling - why did I choose today to wear them??). As we come up on the gate, we see something surprising... they haven't even started boarding yet! The boards hadn't been updated yet, but the flight had been delayed even more! We were going to make our original flight, that had been delayed, even though our first segment was also delayed. Everything worked out and we didn't get in super late! Only an hour late, instead. Yay!
So, despite all the delays, we made it to FL. Bags even made it (though mine did get searched, which is another odd story in itself - don't put a watch next to jars of home jam and a 6-pack of soda!). We finally made it to my parents in time for a late dinner and some Christmas Eve visiting. Now, we can relax.
Usually, I get pretty excited about the first snow of the season. But this year... this year I'm just not feeling it. When the snow started to fall last night, all I could think was, "Great... now I get to deal with this for four months!"
Part of it might be the new car. (By the way, her name is 'Tuscany') I hate that she was snowed on with me having her less than a week! With no garage to keep her in, the weather will be impacting her way too directly for my liking! The snow, the salt, the ice, you name it... I can't do much to protect her, other than park on the side street and hope no one skids down that way. Don't like the thought of that, at all.
But I think the biggest part is the fact that this year has just gone by too fast and I'm not ready for it! I hate to admit it, but I didn't even fully decorate for Christmas this year. Just wasn't feeling it. Didn't even try - left the bins in the attic. Nothing got put up outside and the only evidence inside is the trees and two very lonely stockings. For me, this is a very sad day, because I normally go crazy with Christmas decorating. But not this year.
It's not that I don't want the year to end... there's nothing significant about it. In fact, it was a pretty bland year for me, so if anything, I WOULD want it to end. But I'm just not feeling the season (Neither winter, NOR Christmas!). Maybe the blandness of my year has just impacted my overall demeanor?? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I did nothing fun or exciting this year (because I know I did)... it's more just the lack of anything significant. Just the same ol', same ol'... which is just not the norm.
*sigh*
Oh well. First snow has come and, well, not gone - it's still on the ground. But it's not snowing anymore! It's a little slush, and a little powder, and very white (until the plows come through). But worst of all, it's COLD! Looking forward to my GREEN Christmas!
One thing that comes with traveling for the holidays is an earlier deadline to get 'things' done.
There is no last minute shopping... well, there is, but it's two weeks out from Christmas. Everything has to be shipped out a week beforehand to be 'guaranteed' for Christmas Delivery (though FedEx rocks on that department - Ground Delivery=2-Day Delivery to FL!). But the crunch on the gifts somehow causes a crunch on everything else, because the shipping of the boxes becomes the priority. They suddenly need to come before the cards, and sometimes even before the decorating.
And that I can't do. I simply cannot wrap gifts if the tree is not at least up. For as long as I can remember, I wrap by tree light. Well, other lights might be on, too, but the key is that the tree is up and decorated.
So this year... we seemingly had an extra week between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but that week somehow disappeared on me. Like, seriously unaccounted for. I have no idea what I was doing that I lost that week. I know I took an extended weekend for a cruise... but I've been here every other weekend. So how was I feeling the stress of getting it all done??
At the end of it all, I barely got my packages out... literally shipped them on Monday. Which impacted my cards, which I just finished... right now... at 1am. All 78 of them. When did my Christmas card list get so big?? I'm not complaining - I love that I can at least has some personal, non-Facebook contact that one time of year. Scary part is I feel like I forgot some one/people... I think I keep good track of my list, but I just have that instinctive feeling. Maybe it's just because I'm lacking sleep.
Anyway... at this point, I'm done. All that's left that's even remotely stressful would be the actual traveling. Which, for me, is not stressful. Except for the night before... For as much as I travel, I still manage to get trip anxiety before every trip, and packing for me as quite the process because of it. Oh well. I'll deal with that when the time comes. For now, I just get to enjoy sitting by my tree.
12/20/12 - 2pm
P.S. Yup... I missed some people. Already added two more within 12hrs of writing this...
Okay... enough it enough. I've been biting my tongue, not wanting to post anything about this, but I have to. The tragedy in Connecticut is so.... so... there are no words to describe how horrible it is! And it's because of the damn media, once again.
There's a statement floating around social media - not sure who really said it (some claimed it was Morgan Freeman, at first, but that's been disputed, now.), but it's spot on...
"You want to know why. This may sound cynical, but here's why.
It's because of the way the media reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single *victim* of Columbine? Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he'll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody.
CNN's article says that if the body count "holds up", this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer's face on all their reports for hours. Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer's identity? None that I've seen yet. Because they don't sell. So congratulations, sensationalist media, you've just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next.
You can help by forgetting you ever read this man's name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem. You can help by turning off the news."
This has been the case since long before social media, and long before the cable news channels, too. Think about it... you can go back to John Dillinger, the notorious bank robber/gangster. Just about anyone you ask can tell you who he is. But can you tell me about any of his victims along the way? How about any of Al Capone's victims?
Our society sensationalizes the bad guy. And then Hollywood follows up with movies about them. Or, probably worse, crime investigation TV shows that give people the perception that everything is solved in a day (or in an hour) and the 'how' and 'why' should be made immediately available to the public. And now 'the public' are the experts on the situation.
And the media... there needs to be a stop to their intrusion on tragedies like we've endured lately. Why in the heck did 60 minutes already have an interview with the school nurse last night?? And some 'experts' on the situation followed that nurse's interview... seriously. Two days after it happened, and we're already interviewing people involved or directly affected?? Let the dust settle, at least! I know there's a right for free press, but it doesn't say they have a right within hours of something happening, before the investigation has even come close to concluding. Maybe, just maybe, if they waited and followed up after a few days, there wouldn't be so much incorrect information hitting the airwaves, just because they want to be the first to report something. Personally, I think there should be a gag order on all information coming from a scene like the one in CT for at least 24 hours, if not more... let them report the breaking news (the headline) and maybe fly a chopper over the scene, but that's it... "We'll bring more details tomorrow."
Part of it is our fault, too. We've become a society of instant gratification. We want things, and we want them now. And we expect that from people who 'serve us', whether it be at a fast food drive-thru or a breaking news story. If we have to wait, we get impatient and upset. That's not a good way to see life.
So if you haven't already, turn off the TV. Stop reading every detail about the CT shooting. If you must read something, read about the victims, not the 'why' of the shooter. Don't point fingers, or cry foul at gun control laws. Don't blame the government for lack of funding for mental health institutions. Instead, take a step back, look around at your own little world, and cherish what you have.
I've blogged about my Baby Bleu before... I love my Xterra. Loved her from day one (June 17, 2000), with only 16 miles on her. Yep... 12.5 years old tomorrow. I rolled over 197,000 miles last week. She's been good to me - never left me stranded, even when I thought it was inevitable. Somehow, she always got me home. Which is why it was so hard to let her go yesterday.
I can't say I didn't know it was coming. Eric started hinting at a new car this time last year. But I pushed it off, say she still had a lot of good life in her (which she did) and that there was no reason to take on a car payment (neither of us have had one for at least 5 years). But the little bit of yearning he had last year led us to know that this was definitely the time of year to buy if/when we do. Which it did seem to come this year. My Bleu wasn't a baby anymore and was starting to show her age - some major dollars (relatively) would need to be sunk into her to maintain her if we were to keep her longer, which we easily could've done and she'd have been fine for another decade. But with Eric traveling as much as he has been, he was just starting to worry I'd end up stranded somewhere, with or without the needed maintenance.
So off to the Nissan dealer we went (there was no doubt in my mind I'd be sticking with Nissan). This was after some research, of course, both in general, and on a particular vehicle we had been eyeing that seemed like too good of a deal to be true. And this was in the drizzly rain... but we decided last week we were going to do it, despite any weather, and this was probably not a bad thing for test driving purposes.
As we pulled in, the vehicle we liked online was right up front. We scrambled inside in the drizzle and were, of course, immediately met by one of the salesman. I think we threw him off by (1) actually seriously shopping on a day like this and (2) knowing exactly which vehicle we wanted to look at. So he pulled it into the garage, out of the rain, so we could get a good, full look, inside and out, of the new car. That was quite nice of him, actually - brownie points for him! Yes, I know that's his job, but I don't think either of us expected him to offer that up, especially since they were working on vehicles in the garage.
We liked what we saw, so we continued with our pursuit of a new car by taking it for a test drive. In the drizzly rain. No interstates for us, either - give us the narrow, neighborhood streets with parallel parking that I drive on daily! And yes, I did even parallel park it to make sure I could handle the non-Xterra type vehicle - I had become so used to my little SUV!
By this point, I was sold. So was Eric. It was just a matter of making a deal we were happy with. We knew what we wanted and had a folder full of research, comparisons, and a pre-approved loan. We knew what the fair market value was on this exact vehicle (and, surprisingly, they were already advertising below that mark). So it was just a matter of details and making sure there were no hidden fees or other crap. There was a little back and forth, mainly us trying to get that little bit more off... but at the end of the day, they really were up front with everything and laid it all on the table before we even asked. Done deal.
So a a few signatures later and handshake to seal the deal, and it was ours. A brand new, 2012 Nissan Armada. She's a beauty. No name yet - need to figure out her personality over the next week or so... but there are a few things bouncing around in my head. We'll see what fits. A lot bigger than my Xterra, but I'm adjusting quite quickly.
And yes... despite the acquisition of something brand new, I did tear up upon saying good-bye to Bleu. I managed a private moment to 'check to see I cleaned everything out', and send her off to her next life, which will be a good one. She's in the hands of people that can fix her up like new, and she'll be a great vehicle for someone else. 
The dealer even commented on how he could tell she was taken care of and, considering the age and mileage, was in really good shape.
Some of you might think I'm crazy to be so attached to a vehicle (I know Eric does), but the love is what makes the vehicle last. Like I said before, she was good to me... she gave me a great 12.5 years and while she wasn't my first car, she was my first decade long vehicle. More importantly, she was my Baby Bleu. A lot of memories in her... long roadtrips, a few Auburn tailgates, concerts, ballgames, even some off-roading early on...
I'm sure I'll have some great memories in the Armada, and I hold nothing against her for replacing Bleu... she's a great vehicle! And those who know me will laugh, but the first time we saw her (a few weeks ago), my first comment was that she matched the boots I was wearing. Which made me laugh to think that could actually match my shoes to the car I drive... not good. But funny, none the less. And maybe foretelling to the connection I'll have with her (and yes... I keep referring to the new Armada as a 'her'... no 'him' could possibly ride as smooth as her).
So here's to another decade (or more) in a great Nissan. This time, starting with the test drive at only 33 miles. I'm sure I'll love every memory made, and every mile driven. Just like I did with Bleu.
While I didn't get much traveling in early on in the year, I sure am trying to cram a lot in these last 6 weeks, or so! Another trip. This one, pure pleasure, pure fun! And just us girls on a big boat going shopping for vanilla! (I'll explain more later)
About 2 months ago, my friend, Jen, go the urge to go to Cozumel. She brought it up in an odd fashion, though... I get a cryptic message from her, something like, "Are you going to need some vanilla for baking over the holidays?" Baffled, I respond, maybe and try to figure out what she's getting at. She replies back, "Cozumel Cruise, 5 days, 4 nights, leaves Nov. 29." Needles to say, I was intrigued since I hadn't gotten away too much this year. This was pretty last minute for planning a cruise, only two months out. So it had to be a pretty quick decision. It was relative cheap - granted, in the big scheme of things, cruises usually are. But this one was especially enticing. A quick check of things, and I was in. It was just to be three of us this time around - which we anticipated to be much more fun!
Fast forward to This past weekend... well, last Thursday. Direct morning flight to TPA, and we were some of the first one of the ship, Jewel of the Seas! It was surreal. We left Indy and had to be de-iced before taking off. Now we were changing into our bathing suits to sit poolside. But none of us could disagree... we all needed this little vacay! Let's just hope we had more sun on this one than last year's cruise... which, from the forecast, should be the case.
Finally, after our 4pm muster, we set sail! I don't think I really ever realized how big Tampa Bay really was! It seemed like forever before we got to the Sunshine Bridge! In fact, the sun had set by the time we got there and the moon was full glow after we passed under it. (Got some cool sunset pictures, though!) Oh, and The Jewel barely fits under it! It was kind of cool to listen to wave to cheering from passengers as the ship passed under it, too. Great way to start the trip!
So our first day at sea on Friday did have some scattered showers and overcast skies. A bit of a bummer, but there weren't enough to kill the day. In fact, the day really seemed to fly by when all was said and done - we actually got to enjoy a little more of the ship! The Jewel of the Seas was much nicer than last year's boat, the Monarch of the Seas. It was bigger, for one, and newer. I'm sure it helped that we had a balcony room, too, which is the way to go, we learned. Gives you that private piece of the ship where you can feel the breeze. The staff on this ship seemed a lot more fun, too - they had the best photography staff on board, which was enough to get us to actually find all of them when they set up for portraits at night. And even buy pictures at the end. They just had fun with us, and the rest of the staff was right on par with them, just making sure we had a good time.
Saturday we were in Cozumel, bright and early! Literally. As the sun came up, we were cruising in. We had our day all planned out though - it was going to be one of relaxation! After a quick shopping trip into town. For vanilla. That's right, vanilla. Jen has bought vanilla from here before - they have pure vanilla that is apparently the vanilla to use in recipes. For cheap! But along the way, we found a few other fun stops and found something else Cozumel has become known for - silver jewelry! When all was said and done, though, we went back to the ship, lots of bags in hand, and did a quick turnaround to head to our beach break, Nachi Cocum!
Nachi Cocum was a private beach that you had to make reservations for. This time of year, there's even fewer than the typical 100 allowed. So we nearly had the beach to ourselves... us and maybe about a half dozen or so other people. This was all inclusive - you paid a small fee for the privacy, but that included all the food and drink (adult beverages, included) you wanted! It was the perfect decompression spot we all wanted and needed! Jen and I even took a snorkeling trip, which was fun, too! We saw some barracudas, a giant sea turtle, and even a shark (though I'm not sure what kind). And of course, lots of fish! Our guide even got us up close and personal with some conchs and a giant starfish!
We stayed at Nachi Cocum for as long as possible, soaking up the sun with drinks in hand! We finally headed out just before sunset - we actually watched the sunset from the cruise pier. In fact, Jen and I were 2 of the last 6 people to reboard the ship! We were kind of proud of that. Even then, everyone was still on board early and the captain left port early. It was, indeed, the perfect day.
Sunday was another day at sea. As Jen put it, this was how sea days were supposed to be. Bright, sunny, lazy poolside days. Plenty of entertainment poolside, too. We made sure to get to the pool deck early so we could stake out the perfect spot. It was a good thing, too, because it filled up quickly! While Saturday was the perfect port day, this was definitely the perfect day at sea. None of us wanted to speak of how the cruise was coming to an end. But it was.
Monday morning, we were back at the Tampa Bay Port. Just like that, it was over. Karla, Jen, and I had so much fun, though - we even talked about making this an annual thing. It was the perfect time of year to do it, between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not as many people were taking cruises, and it was just the right time to get away from Indiana, as the cold weather started to set in. So we shall see... Maybe there will be another cruisin' blog next year.
You can see a lot more pictures on my Fotki Page. A LOT more!
And today, we got another inch or so, all piling up because it's not getting warm enough to melt. It's pretty and all, but it also means it's cold!
I have to say, I was kind of figuring on a long, cold, snowy winter. We had it too good last year. And our blistering, hot, drought-laced summer wasn't Mother Nature's payback, this COLD, snowy winter is - Old Man Winter had a say in said payback!
