Daybook & Cruise highlights

FOR TODAY

Actual Daybook entry

For November 9, 2010 written on November 12, 2010
Aboard Radiance of the Seas, Royal Caribbean cruise ship



Outside my window portal... I can see across the vast ocean all the way to the horizon.

The view outside our portal window

From the top deck… I love to watch the wake as the ship sails toward Costa Maya, Mexico.

The wake as seen from the top deck

I am thinking... there is no better way to relax than sailing across the Gulf of Mexico on a large cruise ship.

Radiance of the Seas, Royal Caribbean

I am thankful for... new friends (other young adult couples at dinner) and new experiences (Mayan ruins at Costa Maya and walking downtown Cozumel)

From the kitchen... the executive chef and sous chefs are preparing exquisite fine meals.

Our Filipino waiter Benedict performs a trick for us to earn his tips

He balanced the tips of the toothpicks using the forks as weights

I am wearing... comfortable shoes for climbing on the Mayan ruins.

Climbing to the top of one of the Mayan ruins

I am creating... photo memories of our first cruise to Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico.

On top of the Mayan ruins

At the base of the Mayan ruins

I am going... to Costa Maya and Cozumel on our first cruise. We are going to see the Mayan ruins at Costa Maya and tour and shop at Cozumel.

I am reading... House Rules by Jodi Picoult and the Cruise Compass, the daily newsletter aboard our ship.


I am hoping praying... for safe travel and return home for all that are traveling. St. Michael the Archangel and Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.

Stained glass of St. Michael the Archangel

Our Lady of Guadalupe

I am hearing... music and people dancing poolside on Deck 11.

Line dancing by the pool

Send-off party by the pool on Deck 11

Around the ship... there are people from all over the world enjoying a cruise and all the activities.

Watch out for the water hazard. It's a doozy!

We won 3rd place in the mini-golf tournament with Ken & Allison from North Carolina. I helped with moral support.

Around the house... it is all quiet on the eastern front (home in Bradenton, FL) except for the cat.


One of my favorite things... having time to relax and forget about all work this week, days without stress, and quality time with my husband.

Outside a local restaurant in Cozumel, Mexico

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Wednesday: Visit the Mayan ruins
Thursday: Walking tour of Cozumel

There is NOTHING on the agenda – We’re on vacation!!!

Next week: Recover from vacation and back to housework and weekly routine.




Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Sunset on Deck 12 of Radiance of the Seas with my hubby

Watching the sunset on Deck 12

It was a beautiful sight over the ocean

(Still) newlyweds enjoying a romantic sunset on our first cruise

I caught some sun in my hand

Even hubby got some sun on this cruise

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/
The Simple Woman's Daybook is a brief outline for women/mothers who blog to use as a way to compose thoughts, plan the week, and keep a grateful heart. It is typically published once a week on Tuesdays.

Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... I can see the dark of night straight to the heavens -- a cloudy sky on a cool fall night, the first night in November.

I am thinking... of what needs to be packed for our trip. Clothes for fancy dinners, clothes for daily excursions, clothes for just lounging by the pool…. So much to pack!

I am thankful for... everyone who has come in and out of my life. Some are still a part of my life and others have come and gone in a short matter of time but each one, no matter how long I have known them, changed my life forever. I can never go back to who I was before they came into my life.

From the kitchen...  lies the heart and soul of my home. It is where love is made. I put a lot of thought into each dish I make whether it is a cold cut sandwich or an elaborate meal. I add a dash of love not as extra but as part of the main ingredient.

I am wearing... my pajamas and looking to call it a night soon as I wait for my husband to come home from a long day at work.

I am creating... memories to show our children someday how Mommy and Daddy loved each other.

I am going... on vacation very soon where neither of us have to drive. We are looking forward to just resting and relaxing and enjoying each other’s company.

I am reading... nothing new right now. I read the Publix sale ad and the coupons in the Sunday paper every week. I finally started my Jodi Picoult book but I have not picked it up in a few days. Perhaps on our vacation I can accomplish more reading.

I am hoping praying... the elections this year elect to office the right candidates who will uphold our moral and ethical beliefs and values and that they remember we are ONE nation under GOD. Adding extra prayers for family and friends and all those who have no one to pray for them.

I am hearing... dead silence except for the computer running and the sound of me typing on the keyboard. It must be late at night and time to get ready to call it a day.

Around the house... there is STILL work to be done. There are always dishes to be done, floors to be mopped, laundry to be washed, clutter to be put away… But it can all wait another.

One of my favorite things... praise and worship music. I love sing dance and sing before our Lord. It fills me with joy and gladness.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
Pack for vacation.
Tidy and clean the house.
The weekend: Quality time with family

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Exchanging rings on our wedding day

With this ring...

...I thee wed.

I will not be posting a Daybook next week but I will be sure to write it out to share along with the following weeks Daybook.

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/
The Simple Woman's Daybook is a brief outline for women/mothers who blog to use as a way to compose thoughts, plan the week, and keep a grateful heart. It is typically published once a week on Tuesdays.

In retrospect: Our wedding planner

I believe that everyone that comes into our lives whether they remain a part of it for a only a short time truly affect who we are and who we become. We can never be the person we were the second before we meet someone. There is a change in you from having known that person. Sometimes the change is so big and that person remains in your life for a long time to come. They are always remembered fondly. The change can be ever so slight that they change you at that very moment. The person does not remain an active part of your life but they are never forgotten. Those who make big changes leave big impressions that never leave your heart and nor do they. 

Our lives are forever touched by our wedding and what she helped us put together at the very start of our lives together. She have made a BIG impression on our hearts and she will NEVER be forgotten. She helped to turn my wedding dreams into a reality. We know our wedding day is not about the details and plans of the day itself but it adds to the memories. It completes the celebration and the Sacrament. I know I could not have done it all by myself. 

Getting ready for the big day side by side with my wedding planner

Shannon Humphrey -- the best wedding planner

Just look at her face...she must have said something. We had some great times!

Thank you so much Shannon for helping us put together a lasting memory. A memory that not only will live on in our hearts but the hearts of our friends and family who all celebrated with us on that day. I could not have planned or put together a more amazing wedding if I had done it myself. It was everything I wanted and ever dreamed from the very moment the doors opened and I saw my handsome groom to the very last moments we shared with family and friends. With all that was happening at the time and the months before our wedding, I just did not have the hands and feet to wander all over Orlando to get the things done that I needed. Thank you for being the hands and feet I needed to put together the most amazing day of our lives. We will never forget it. The day will live on in our hearts for a lifetime.

Our Church and Parish

While Kris was living here in Bradenton during his bachelor days he attended Mass at St. Martha in downtown Sarasota. The Church is small and close to his work which made it very convenient for him on a Sunday morning to fulfill his obligation and make it to work on time. When I finally moved to Bradenton after we were married, we prayerfully considered whether we would stay registered at St. Martha or find a Church that was closer to home. I had been to St. Martha several times during my many visits to Bradenton over the years. I loved the Church. It is a small intimate Church right in the middle of downtown Sarasota. It was filled with history and beauty. I loved the pastor, Fr. Fausto. I always loved his homilies and they way he drew in the children during Mass. The one thing that was missing were the ministries for me to get involved. Over the past few years I have had a devotion and commitment to fostering the faith of young adults in our Church. I knew that there was no young adult ministry at St. Martha and the one that was here in the area was no longer active. I had also been very active in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal through the Diocese of Orlando. I had an active prayer group at Holy Family the former parish where I was a member and where we were married. There was not a prayer group at St. Martha where I could praise and worship and pray on a weekly basis. I was longing to find a Church that had both active ministries that we both get involved in and eventually our whole family.

St. Martha Catholic Church, Sarasota, FL

St. Martha Catholic Church right in the heart of downtown Sarasota

During our first few months of marriage, we searched many different parishes in the area. We had tried to attend Mass at St. Martha regularly but searched other Church bulletins for ministries where we could get involved as a couple. I was able to find a couple of prayer groups at two different Churches. One prayer group was at Incarnation Church in Sarasota. The other prayer group was at St. Joseph Church in Bradenton. I attended both groups regularly for a few months but still had not found a parish to call home. I liked both groups but Incarnation was just too far and St. Joseph had a smaller group than what I was used to. We continued to pray and search for a Church that we both could call home.

We kept searching for young adult groups but did not see any information regarding young adult ministry in any of the bulletins. We were starting to consider becoming involved in youth ministry and hope that the young adults who led the youth would be interested in starting a young adult ministry. I was a bit hesitant on the idea as I had previously had an unfortunate experience when I was a youth minister. Unfortunately, it had left a bitter taste and I was not able to move past the experience. I was afraid it would happen again and I did not want that to leave another sour taste and lead me to draw away from Church and the ministries that I do love. We continued to try to attend Mass at St. Martha and search for the ministry that I was so in desperate need.

During our early months of marriage, we also had been researching NFP instructors so that we could learn the proper method and begin to practice it for times it is necessary to prevent pregnancy. I had called the diocese and they gave of the name of the couple in our diocese who teaches NFP. We were lucky enough that Ryan and Afra Beggy lived right here in Bradenton and we would not have to travel very far to learn about NFP. I was excited to make my first phone call to them. In my conversations with both Ryan and Afra, I learned that they were also the head of a young adult ministry at St. Joseph Church. I was so excited to hear that there was the ministry which I had been looking for since I moved to Bradenton. We had wanted to try and meet with them but had so many conflicts early on that we just could not coordinate our schedule. It was at this time we continued to prayerfully consider if St. Joseph was going to be the parish where we would finally call home. I had already been attending prayer group and now there was young adult and NFP through this parish. It was slowly becoming more evident that this was going to be the place where we would call home.

St. Joseph Catholic Church, Bradenton, FL

Over the next few months, I continued to attend prayer group at St. Joseph and we were able to meet a couple of times with the young adult group. We met several young married couples with young children in the young adult group. I was starting to get more and more excited just thinking of our children someday growing up with these other children and in this faith community. We even learned that St. Joseph offered Dave Ramsey's class Financial Peace University. This was yet another ministry we were hoping to get involved with during our marriage. After several weeks of attending Mass at St. Joseph, we finally decided that we would call it home.

St. Joseph young adult group t-shirt

After registering at St. Joseph, we learned of the Church mission on stewardship. I was eager to attend all three nights and learn more about what kind of ministries and stewardship our new parish had planned. During the mission, I became even more excited that St. Joseph was trying to ignite a new stewardship program in their parish. I finally had found a Church that we both could call home where we can become active members and raise our children in a loving Church family. We are both excited to get in on the ground level of St. Joseph's stewardship program. As young adults, we know that we will be the core of the Church in the future. We are excited as a young married couple to get our family involved in Church stewardship from the very start even before children. Twenty years from now I want our entire family active and excited about being stewards of our faith and Church.

We still love St. Martha Church. They offer 4 different times for daily Mass and Confession every day including two times on Saturday. We still go there for daily Mass at times before Kris has to be at work or for special occasions. We will always have a special place in our hearts for St. Martha Church and Fr. Fausto.

Thank you St. Joseph Church for being the Church family for us. We pray that we will grow as a couple and a family with your Church. We hope to be part of your family for a long time to come.

Lessons through cooking: Potato Pancakes

Before I got married I never thought of myself as a good cook. As a young child and teenager I even had difficulty cooking a simple frozen pizza without burning either the pizza or myself and sometimes even both. I often tried new recipes that just did not come out like the pictures I saw or the way I had seen others make them. I continued with my college food staples for a long time as they were simple and I had a decreased chance of burning the food, myself, and even the house down.

When Kris and I were engaged last year, I realized that my current food staples although filling and satisfying were not going to be a healthy choice in the long run to feed and take care of our family. I also realized that cooking for our family would become my responsibility. I had to start to make some changes in the way I ate and what I cooked. I did want to start cooking fancy meals as I knew Kris was not into fancy meals or even fancy dining. I knew he enjoyed more of the comfort foods so I became an expert at cooking comfort foods with a healthier twist. I tried to learn to make meals from a box without using the boxed meals.

I get my basic recipes from various Internet websites such as Cooks.com or Allrecipes.com. Even websites such as weelicious.com offer simple and healthy alternatives to familiar comfort foods that we both enjoy. The recipes are simple and do not take much time to prepare or cook although it does take me some time to prepare recipes or meals I have never tried. They are not the fancy recipes found on other websites such as Foodnetwork.com. I am not opposed to using other sites but I find the recipes more complicated than what I need. I do not follow the recipes to the letter but I use them as a basic guideline. I tweak each recipe as needed every time I make it. Each dish comes out different every time I make it. I cannot seem to cook something the same way twice. I am very fortunate to have a willing guinea pig to try each new recipe with an open mind and heart. Kris loves that he gets a new dish every once in a while and he has not complained (much) since we have been married. I do not think he has eaten this well since his childhood days. There have been a lot of changes since eating frozen meals, Ramen noodles, or eating out during his bachelor days.

I often like to try new recipes when I have to use foods before they spoil. Kris is very big on not wasting any food. He makes sure to save or eat every bit of food on the table at every meal. He will even eat the last few bites on my plate so there is nothing that goes to waste. He likes to consider himself a bit of an environmentalist since reading an article online.

I decided on potato pancakes for today's recipe since we had a few potatoes that I was afraid might spoil in the next few days.They turned out to be more like potato cakes rather than pancakes but Kris enjoyed them. When Kris is happy then I am a happy wife.

Potato pancakes which came out more like flat potato cakes

I learned a few lessons today in making my potato (pan)cakes. Lessons that I think will make me a better cook and an even better wife and Mom someday.

Lessons learned through cooking:

1. A little flour goes a LONG way.
2. A little salt does NOT go a long way.
3. A big mess is not as a big mess that we think it is when it is all cleaned and put away.

I still do not consider myself a good cook but I know that I have a satisfied and happy husband who does not want for food.
 
Click the link to see basic recipe that I followed to make my potato (pan)cakes today.

Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... It is an incredibly warm and sunny day. Highs are in the upper 80s and feels in the 90s. It certainly does not feel like a fall day at all.

I am thinking... about what the future has in store and the unknown. I am not sure I want to know what is to come in the near and not so distant future. There are so many uncertainties that I am not sure I want to know right now. I am not sure I am prepared for any heartache or heartbreak that may (or may not) be associated with the unknown.

I am thankful for... the many blessings and graces in life that come from the old and new friends in our lives. They are such true blessings and I am grateful that each one is in my life.

From the kitchen... I can see that there is much tidying and cleaning needed to be done. I am blessed that there is always food on our table and we do not want for food to feed our physical hunger.

I am wearing... comfortable clothing. I am blessed that we have clothes on our back and do not want for clothing.

I am creating... together with my husband a home. I am blessed that we have a sturdy roof over our heads and do not want for shelter.

I am going... to attend the Church mission on stewardship this week so I can learn how to be a better steward of God and our faith.

I am reading... The Song of Songs. I am fascinated by the love story portrayed in the Bible. It is a description from God of the sacredness and the depth of married union. It shows how our marriage to our Earthly spouse can prepare us for our marriage to the Lamb. It can be interpreted in terms of the union between Christ and the Church and even more specifically of the union of Christ and the individual soul.

I am hoping praying... for those who are hungry, for those who are naked, and for those who are homeless. May their prayers be joined with ours and they no longer know want for food, clothing, or shelter especially the children around the world who are lacking in the basic necessities to live.

I am hearing... the sound of the branches from our Areca palms across our bedroom window and roof. And to think one of them appeared dead after last year’s winter freeze. They are both growing out of control and need much pruning.

Around the house... there are many things that need to be tidied and cleaned. There is still much work to be done to continue to make our house into a home but we are both working together (inside and outside the home) to make create a home.

One of my favorite things... All the aspects of the miracle of life -- the sound of babies laughing, the grip of babies hands, the calm of babies sleeping, the soft touch of babies cheeks, the joy of life living.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

Tuesday & Wednesday: Church mission
Thursday: Prayer group
This weekend: Early voting, First Halloween in our new home

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Our cat Gracie

This is our cat Gracie Mae K...

...being lazy.

...helping with the laundry.

...and taking care of Mommy when she is sick.

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/
The Simple Woman's Daybook is a brief outline for women/mothers who blog to use as a way to compose thoughts, plan the week, and keep a grateful heart. It is typically published once a week on Tuesdays.

Prime examples

"I found him whom my heart loves. I took hold of him and would not let him go." - excerpt from Song of Songs 3: 4

Kris and I are so blessed to have not one but two prime examples of a good marriage. We are fortunate that both our parents have been married for over 30 years and shown us through their experiences what it takes to make a marriage work. Both of our families have endured many struggles over the years but they have worked through it all with the help of faith and trust in God. They love their spouses tenderly and completely. They give generously to their children and grandchildren. They continue to provide for their family when they are in need. They have taught us both how to be a better spouse. We are fortunate to have them in our lives as they continue to be the example to us.

Parents of the bride

Parents of the groom

Mom and Dad celebrated 39 years of marriage on  October 23

Mom and Dad celebrated 40 years of marriage on August 15

There is almost 120 years total of marriage experience between the three couples here. It is more than a lifetime but we are grateful for the example that they have shown us.

Thank you to our parents for being examples to us in our new marriage. We are so blessed to have both of your in our lives.