30th Bday Part 2- Providenciales

Provo is like the epi-center for tourism, so when in Rome...

We did all the tourist stuff, underwater sea excursion, Snuba (a cross between snorkelling and scuba), ate, drank, swam...the works. Provo had all the bells and whistles, it was so different than GT. They want you to be spoiled and want for nothing while you are enjoying the resorts. It was kind of nice to have your dinner take the normal 30 minutes, rather than the hour and a half it would take on GT. Oh yeah, no kidding, they were in no rush on GT to do anything for you--which strangely you kind of get use to. By the time we were in Provo, we almost felt rushed!

This house is the epitome of modern day castle, we came across it on our "exploring with a car day", it is massive...
with a mote...and here is the draw bridge. I betcha it is like Bruce Willis's house or something. Who thinks this stuff up, seriously? A mote!? At the World Famous Conch Shack, waiting on my conch fritters, yum!

Our room at Grace Bay Club had a spectacular view!My honey and me It is five o'clock somewhere right?

White girl and her traveling umbrella hat, no flying nun jokes please. I barely suffered any sunburns.

Our Snuba guide had an underwater camera, she caught us checking out a turtle. I have never been able to see one so still before, they usually take off as soon as they see you. There were actually 3 of these guys, one was at the surface and the other two were feeding on sea grass. This was a HUGE step for me, since Cody and I met nearly 10 years ago, we have been slowly working on my Thalassophobia (fear of ocean). My adventuring husband scuba dives and I would barely go in past my belly button, I was really proud of myself. I only got nervous one time, and it was mostly due to water conditions being a bit rough. I am even toying with the idea of getting certified to scuba one day.

The air tank were on rafts on the surface about 25 feet up, it was cool to get to try the scuba experience without having to go through all the lessons.

Our hotel had beds both poolside and on the beach...that's right, beds...it was heaven.

This is some brain coral, not a great picture through the glass of the submarine.

A spotted eagle ray, I spotted one of these in Grand Turk...they are absolutely amazing creatures, so graceful and beautiful to watch.

Our last night, we went to a romantic off the beaten path Morrocan restaurant. We ate hummus, tangine, and moussaka...and of course, drank some wine. It was one of the best meals we had while on our trip. The next day was long with flying and driving. We got in after midnight, exhausted and anxious to see our Sammyboy. He was sleeping sound. The next morning was the best! He snuggled in bed for almost an hour with us, and kept smiling and laughing and kissing us. He changed a ton in those 12 days! Nana and Pop-pop did a fantastic job taking care of our little britches, he talks about them everyday still and about Uncle Damien and his kite. It was a wonderful vacation, and we cannot thank them enough!

30th Birthday Extravaganza! Grand Turk

Paradise was...well, paradise! Cody took me away to Turks & Caicos for my 30th birthday present, I know right? He is fabulous. I had two conditions for my birthday, one, I can't be pregnant and two, I can't be in High Point. We decided that since it had been awhile since we took a vacation together (Luisa and Ollie's wedding circa '06) that there was no time like the present.We started out on Grand Turk. A teeny-tiny island to the far east of that group of islands and is strongly rumored to be where Columbus made landfall in his quest to the new world, it is also where the capital city is located. Grand Turk was all but decimated during the hurricanes of '08 Hannah and Ike all but leveled it. The island was actually just getting back on its feet when we arrived, the inn we stayed at was only renting 3 of its 5 rooms and we were the first tourists that year. The owners were lovely ex-pats of Australia, and had bought the inn several years back as a hobby in their retirement. There were about 3 restaurants, but most of the other inns and restaurants were still closed due to extensive damages and no money to repair.We had the run of the island. The big draw is the huge sea wall off the several hundred yards off the shore line, making it one of the best places to scuba dive in the world and the snorkeling wasn't half bad either, in spite of the major damages done to the coral and sea life. Cody indulged in several ($$really cheap$$) dives while I lounged on the beach, and made a few trips to the spa.We had bikes at our disposal, and several mornings or afternoons we took off to find the beaches deserted. There are so few tourists there that by the end of the week most of locals new us by name. The only exception was the cruise lines have a port at the south end of the island, Celebrity Village, that would be slammed with cruisers 2-3 times a week for a few hours. Cody and I rode down one day to eat a burger at Margaritaville and people watch.In the late afternoon, we'd watch for the fisherman to speed past on there boats and run down to the end of town where they would set up a primitive fish market, with the freshest, tastiest fish I every had! Every night we went onto the roof deck to watch the sunset and the wild horses and donkey roam the streets after all the locals went home for the night. Then we'd go in crack some wine, make dinner and sit on the beach.If you want to experience real island life, this is your place. No resorts, no people, no tv, phones, or Internet (seriously), no worries...this is your spot.

Grand Turk Inn

The Sandbar...one of two bars on Grand Turk, my favorite...good view, cheap drinks and delish food!

Beach in front of Sandbar, even the beach bar's beach is deserted. Got to love that! Our fisherman buddies! They had all kinds of tastyness...Grouper, Snapper and the island specialty Conch (which tastes somewhere between clams and calamari).Wild horses cruising down Main Street, Cockburn Town.

Tequila and a sunset!Beachcombing was so fun there, you never know what you would turn up! Turtle shells, sea urchins, star fish and all kinds of crazy, beautiful shells.

This is a good shot of the water, you can see in the distance the dark blue line of water...that's the wall. I think Cody said it plunges to something crazy (7,000feet)! And then, you can see the lighter areas of blue and the spots, that is all the coral reef. We saw a nurse shark, eagle ray, sting ray, squid, sea turtles and all kinds of fish. The coolest was the flying gurnard.

This shot says so much about our days, we rode until our butts wouldn't let us. We had so much fun exploring and not having to get into a car was kind of relaxing in a strange way. At least, we didn't have to feel guilty about the amount of calories in margaritas and beer we drank. Our day at Margaritaville was really all about a cheeseburger in paradise! It was so worth it!

This is a shot of us that another couple took of us on my actual birthday! I love it. I think it is my favorite one from the whole trip.

Earth Day

Happy Earth Day friends! I hope that you are all able to enjoy a beautiful day outside.

Hockey

I love that my little boy got to see street hockey in Philly when we were home a few weeks ago. A favorite past time for kids up there, and now he wants to play it at home (makes this Philly girl proud). We fashioned a hockey stick out of a spatula and a yardstick. He was having lots of fun!

Easter

A few pictures from Easter morning! Sam was excited about the treats in his basket. He got a new Elmo potty video and a potty book, some finger paints for the tub and a Mr. Potato Head. We also spoiled him with some sweet tarts and M&M's.

My family came up from Charlotte to spend the day and have dinner. The dads took the boys in the "warm tub" and they all had a good time splashing. Joe was a little unsure why he had to wear his clothes and a diaper to take a bath, but he soon forgot about it.

Cody made a wonderful beef tenderloin, and I made the sides: green bean casserole, scalloped potatoes, artichokes and whole grain rolls. Dessert was peanut-butter chocolate pie!

A penny saved is a penny earned....

Back in the day, it was considered your patriotic duty to keep a garden...so given the tough times before us, the global warming fever and the fact that veggies in the grocery store are just plain blah! Cody and I decided that we wanted to start our very own "Victory Garden". We spent all Saturday preparing it. We got up early and headed out to the massive farmer's market in HP's countryside and stocked up on seedlings of all varieties. Since, neither Cody or myself has much of a green thumb...we decided on hearty plants that were pretty established already.

North Carolina soil is super dense clay, so tilling by hand is impossible. We bought an tiller attachment for the weed whacker. It was more expensive than we thought, but Cody said it was absolute back breaking work and he was glad that he had it. We got in several tomato varieties, eggplant, zucchini, squash, jalapenos, red peppers, and cucumbers. I am stoked!! I am going to start my herbs probably in a few weeks. My oregano and thyme from last is already coming back.
A hot hottie hubby, sorry had to sneak it in. He did all the hard work tilling and digging. We both hit the sack at like 8:30 that night, after taking some Advil. Getting old!

Holly took a peek at what we planted, she said we will have alot to harvest. She planted a garden last year and was very successful.

Delish!

I got all Martha a few days ago and created a super yummy dinner, had to share with all my ladies out there!

Mexican Meatloaf

1 package of ground turkey
1 packet of taco seasoning
1 small onion
1 small pepper or handful of small tri-colored
1 cup of stale tortilla chips
3/4 cup Salsa
1 tomato
shredded cheese

First, dice onion and peppers fine (I stuck them in the food processor). Then, crush left over, stale tortilla chips. Mix turkey, veggies, tortillas, salsa and half a packet of taco seasoning in a large bowl. Spray a loaf pan with Pam and mold turkey. Thinly slice tomato on top meatloaf. Stick in a preheated oven of 400, and bake for 40-45 mins. Sprinkle cheese in the last few minutes, and pull out when bubbly!
I also made some guacamole and topped it when I served it to the boys. They devoured it! I steamed some green beans on the side. But, you could do rice and beans or a salad or whatever veggies you want.
I hope you try it, it was so good.

Weekend

It was a family weekend of just hanging out together. Sam and Cody headed up to Main Street for a fundraiser held by the Richard Petty's Victory Junction Gang a local hero and famed NASCAR driver. Cody was hoping to get a snapshot with either Richard or Kyle, no such luck. Just a shot of Sam in his car with Kyle's car . Sam with the kids next door, he was having a blast getting pulled all around the street in the wagon. He is such a thrill seeker already.

Sam and Stuart

I don't know why, but he likes climbing in the dog kennel...so strange. I hope this says nothing for the future and his penchant for being behind locked bars.

Chillaxin'

We are having the new windows installed all last week and this week too. They look great, they are a complete replica of the original ones to this old timer house. By the way, in the pic of Sam and Stuart, you can see the new windows in the back. The process has been slow, about 2-3 windows a day. The workers have commented on how some of the frames have shifted off balance over time, and it is taking them longer than expected to get a good fit. It is an extremely loud process! It hasn't been fun working around it with Sam...as I have complained before my child is a light sleeper. He has been so exhausted, yesterday, I started making dinner and this is how I found him at 5:30....
Poor lamb. He has been like the walking dead.

BBC Top 100

I love a list! And, I really love books and reading...so how perfect is this?! Back in '06, when I was having a hard time finding a regular job and I had plenty of "free time" I made the resolution to read beloved classics. Here's how I made out according to the BBC.

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller1
2. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

I've got 26! How about you?

April Showers

It has been raining here for like eternity! We got out yesterday while it did that cold, misty rain thing. Sam and I were both going stir crazy and we can't really go anywhere because we are having new windows put in. He wanted to go on a "venture" around the yard. The flowers are all blooming and he looks super adorable in his yellow slicker. He is begging me to go see Hamp, who is currently covered in mud. I said no. This is his "pretty pleasing face"...also the same face he makes when he is going the #2.

Almost.

In exactly one month, I will be turning 30. Whoa.

If I think back 10 years at where I was at 20, I can't believe how much life has changed...how much I have experienced. The last 10 years went by so fast, what does that mean for the next 10 years? I am not freaking about turning 30 so much...I am at where I want to be at. I have accomplished what it is I set out to accomplish.

I graduated from school.
I worked in autism and made some small difference.
I moved across country and started from scratch.
I married my dream guy.
I moved back across country.
I bought my first house.
I had a beautiful baby.
I stay at home and rock the mom thang.
I am happy.

This is what I thought when I was younger, "...okay by the time I am 30 I will have done this-this-and this". I did all those things. So why is it weird to be turning 30? I certainly don't want to be 20 again. No way, I had my fair share of bad dates, bad hangovers, bad roomies, bad bad badness. I guess it is time to make a new list "...okay by the time I am 40 I will have done this-this-and that!" Here is the problem, I don't know what to put on that list...I honestly am so happy and feel so blessed with the current condition of my life, I'm a bit stumped. Is that pathetic?
I have got all of the standard things thought out, like "travel more"..."save more"..."volunteer more"..."read more"..."cook more" But, nothing huge.

I kinda feel so satisfied, that maybe I should just set life on cruise control and simply enjoy
while it lasts. I know that it will go by in a *snap*.