Life's A Beach

Doesn't that sunshine feel good sweetie?

Uh huh...we are here...walking the beaches of Fort Walton and Destin. Bill is in Florida for a conference so we tagged along. Yes, Grace has her school's approval! I swear! She does classroom work all morning

and then, in the afternoon we play.

We take long walks on the beach...

...and chat with the locals. Right local?? RIGHT? Okay, so he t'ain't talkin'...

And we eat delicious seafood...oh were these crab cakes yummy!

Then we sit and watch the sun go down...wow.

A little get away every now and then is good...and we are sure enjoying it.

I have internet service in our room but it is slooooooow. I may not be able to get around to visit much this week but will when we return. I think about all of you often...and send each one of you

 much love and many hugs.

Susie Q

Coastin'...

We just returned from the Gulf Coast...Orange Beach, Alabama to be exact!

It was a week filled with warm sand, cool, blue water, lookin' for sea shells, laughin' with good friends,

watchin' our girls play in the waves, eatin' delicious sea food and just enjoyin' bein' alive.

Now it's back to the real world, a mountain of dirty laundry, a dusty house, clingy pets (we WERE away a whole week ya know!) and a list of errands to run!

I hope to catch up with you all soon...I hope you didn't forget me while I was away! I sure did miss you!

Have a sweet weekend...

Love and Hugs,

Susie Q

Hey Hey What D'Ya Say...

...We're the Elks and we came to play!

Yup. The kid is now a cheerleader. Pom Poms, a 5 inch thick rules & regulations manual to learn and a zillion dollars worth of outfits and equipment later and it is official! But doesn't she look adorable in the camp outfit? Camp begins the first week of August and she is so excited!

On the 4th of July she and the other girls walked in the Americana Parade here and what fun she had! The expected rain held off until the parade ended so it was

a huge success!

Me? Not so much! *sniff* Mom here was home, in bed, with a virus. Uh huh. All our 4th plans went up in a cloud of fire crackers.

But I am not whining...really! My Mom and Bill enjoyed the parade and Bill taped the entire thing for me so we all watched together. The cookout I planned was postponed but heck. Burgers and hot dogs taste good any time right?

The rest of the family watched fireworks at the high school but Kip, Lucy and Henry and I cuddled under a quilt and watched them on TV. The Fur Three are always good at cheering me up!

I am still not 100% better but well enough to have worked in the yard today! Grace and I spent 3 hours weeding the beds and trimming. This kid loves to pitch in with yard work! I never even have to ask! Me? I have to BEG myself to do it! Truly! Sad isn't it? Puuuuullllleeeezzzeeee Sue? I will let you watch a Brian Dennehy movie if you go out and weed for 1 hour! And so I go, grumbling at myself but I go. *grin*

We are getting ready to head off on vacation this coming weekend...I hope to have oodles of photos to share with you all upon our return. Going to Orange Beach, Gulf Shores Alabama for the week. Poor Dan has to work so he is tending to the house, yard watering and caring for the Fur Three. They are just grateful NOT to be in a kennel! Whoo Hoo!

We are meeting a few of the families that were in China with us. We love these people so much and are so grateful that all of us have stayed close and meet once a year for a reunion. We all can't be at each one but as many come as is possible and those that are not with us are there in spirit and in our hearts. We do share photos and call with one another but seeing the children in person is always such a joy. Grace, the honorary big sis of the group, delights in the little ones, all of which turn 6 this year! That does not seem possible! It was 5 years ago September that found all of us in China...

I hope your week is going well and that your 4th holiday was a sweet one!

Yesterday was Ritter's Dog night and Kip is hard at work on his post to share!

I have promised him to add it to the blog before we head South...

Stay cool, smile a lot and enjoy each day! They are such precious gifts!

Love and Hugs,

Susie Q

A Little Of This, That And The Other Cold Thing

I know what you are thinking. Maybe not but *I would be thinking, "Why is she posting a picture of sand and beaches when she should be posting her Christmas tree?" Okay, here is the answer. First, it is COLD. Windy with a sub zero wind chill. Numbing cold. I was just thinking about sitting on this beach last Summer and it made me smile. The footprints are Bill's and Grace's. I was following just behind and really enjoying watching them talk, hold hands and act silly. And it was waaaarrrrmmmm. Breezy and warm.

The answer to that second question is even more simple. No tree pictures because it is not quite finished! My head is hanging in shame. I blame the frigid temperatures. Could not be MY fault. Nope. It's the cold.

Okay. It is cold. Really cold. I am not kidding! COLD! I was freezing all day. Just could not get warm to save my life. Brrr...I am going to head off to bed in a minute (or 30) to snuggle with the dog and cat and layers o'quilts (I MISS BILL!) and hope I get nice and warm! And all this from a woman who actually LIKES Winter. I DO! But I am STILL cold. Really.

We had our first real snowfall. Not a lot to measure but gee did it mess with the morning rush and then some. I had to head out early to take my nephew to his pre school. It was my day to do that and I LOVE that time with him. Of course, today it all took a lot longer to go anywhere. I can't complain though. So many accidents today and I did just fine...my family and friends did fine too. So, no complainin' out of me. Well, maybe just a smidge.

Grace LOVED it. She was so excited and made me promise that she could play in it this afternoon. Now, to you and me it did not look like enough to play in. To her, it was a veritable snow mardi gras! She made a snow person that, and I am guesstimating here, was about 2 inches tall. Oh yeah, she was happy! The kid just gets more out of life than most! Give her a little snow, a pink hat and some art supplies and she is in la la land!

Grace had a special sewing class this evening at her instructor's home. She lives in a wonderful old farm house and has the greatest studio. The girls had the best time, almost as much as I did just watching them. Her teacher is a super lady and as patient a person as can be. She was a pediatric nurse for years and her skill with children is something sweet to see.

Have I mentioned it is COLD? Um, was that complaining? Yep, I guess so. Gee, I have to quit doing that! But the wind chill is 0. Feel sorry for me yet? Hmm...nah. I wouldn't either!

Today is the 65th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. So many lives lost that day. Some were friends of my Dad's...

I have such an interest in WW II history and it's effect on the lives of American's, German's, the Japanese, the Italian's, French...all those involved. Those who fought, those who were persecuted, those who grew up during those years, families just trying to live their lives amid chaos...those whose lives were forever marked by that war.

I am thinking about them all tonight.

Sleep well...stay well. See you tomorrow.