Hello From the Yucatan

Jamie and I are here in Cozumel today. We´ve had a fun time so far with the exception of motion sickness the second day out... we were sailing for 39 hours before our first stop and it was a rocky ride. Met 2 ladies at dinner (another mother and daughter) who had some extra patches for motion sickness and they were kind enough to give us each one.... what a blessing that was... we are both fine now. Spent yesterday touring Chichen Itza, the Mayan ruins and pyramid. We have taken lots of pictures but have not found a way or the time to post here yet. So now we are finishing up our morning of shopping in Cozumel and are heading to the beach.

Austin

I made it to Austin safely last night. There were lots of severe storms in TX and LA yesterday so my flight from Charlotte to Dallas was rerouted but we flew north of the storms and didn't encounter any problems or delays. When I arrived in Dallas I discovered that 2 flights to Austin had been cancelled but thankfully mine was still on time. There were about 200 people in line at my gate though who had been cancelled and were trying to get on my flight. I was so glad I had a seat and my flight was not cancelled. I arrived in Austin about 30 minutes behind schedule but I wasn't complaining. Jamie was waiting for me at the baggage claim along with a little 9 year old girl she baby sits for named Lauren. She was adorable. She is about the size of Hannah and has a vocabulary that surpasses most adults. Amazing and so outgoing. We had a delightful ride to Jamie's apartment where we were robustly greeted by Bella. Jamie had to go back to Lauren's house to finish up her job and I stayed at the apartment, took a leisurely bath and enjoyed the down time. Finally went to bed around 11:00 (which was midnight east coast time) and was fast asleep. Today I woke up to sun filtering into the windows and it is a beautiful Austin day. I have the windows and french doors open with a nice warm sunny breeze blowing in. We leave early in the morning for Galveston and our cruise. I think the ship has internet cafes so hopefully I will be able to blog while we are on the cruise. If not, then I am sure to have a lot to blog about once we return.

Little Birdie

I hope this isn't too morbid. The other day I was sitting at the desk using the computer and watching the birds at my bird feeders. Suddenly there was a loud thump and I caught a glimpse of a bird hitting the window right in front of me. I looked out the window and there he lay on the porch. I ran outside hoping he had only knocked himself out. That used to happen a lot at our house in Austin, birds would fly right into our bedroom window that was next to the pool. Most times they would only be stunned for a short while then would fly away. A few never revived. I was so hoping this little guy would wake up and fly away. He never did. It broke my heart since I am sure he was one of the birds I had been watching feed. In an instant he was dead. Below are a couple of photos I took when I thought he still may be alive. Hopefully he had a belly full of the good seeds I had in the feeders and he died full and happy and quickly.

A Wet Dog

I recently was reminded just why I pay to have Millenni professionally bathed and groomed. In an effort to cut back on some expenses so I could have some spending money for my upcoming trip I decided I would give Millenni a cut and bath. The grooming part went fine, she stood there on the kitchen island just like at the groomers and let me give her a trim. The only difficult part was her face, she doesn't like me trimming around her nose and eyes. Then I attmepted the bath. Oh what a mess! By the time I was finished I was as wet as she was. Water was everywhere and I no longer had a dry stitch of clothing on. I was soaked through! I got her all lathered up and she was pretty good until it came time to be rinsed off. That's when the challenge hit. You know, some things are just worth every cent to have someone else do it and grooming and bathing my dog is one of those things!

Millenni all lathered up and wanting to escape