Bucket List #10-12

#10 --- Drive (or ride) Route 66 and stop at all the unique places along the way --- I think this would be SO much fun!! Of course, I see myself doing this in a convertible... but, hey... if I ever get to do it... then, it won't really matter what kind of vehicle I am in! I need to research what towns and sites are along the way. Doing this would help me to complete #3 on my Bucket List -- Visiting all 50 states!

#11 --- Visit Castle Hollenzollern in Germany --- By researching my family history, I found out that my Brandenburg ancestors (my mother's maternal side) were Prussian royalty back in early 1500's. The Hohenzollern family ruled Prussia & Brandenburg until the end of World War I. There is even a castle that belonged to them. The castle is located 30 miles south of Stuttgart, Germany and is open for touring. It looks so beautiful!

#12 --- Visit the Grand Canyon --- I find it amazing that Dtr. #2 has seen this Wonder of the World and I haven't yet! But, I plan to someday! Maybe I will get to on my Route 66 trip!

Bucket List #7-9

#7 --- Spend a week (or more) at Disney World and take my time seeing everything --- I have been to Disney World many times, but have always been "rushed" thru the parks.  I want to go and take my time and see things at my own pace. Maybe have 2 days to explore each of the 4 parks. That would be wonderful!

#8 --- Spend a Christmas in a mountain cabin, as a family --- I have this "picture" in my mind of us (and maybe our extended family, too!) renting a cabin up in the mountains and spending Christmas there. The cabin would have a huge fireplace and we would bring our own Christmas tree. We wouldn't bring any decorations for the tree, but would bring supplies to MAKE our own decorations once we got there. (Guess that means that we would need to arrive a few days before Christmas!) We would have fun playing board games and cards. We would take walks in the woods and maybe even have a campfire outside. We David would cook a yummy meal for Christmas Day! Of course, if it snowed on Christmas Eve, then that would be awesome!!

#9 --- Visit New York City and have plenty of time to see everything --- New York City would be another place that you wouldn't want to be "rushed" to see! (Well, actually.... I wouldn't want to be rushed on any vacation!) I have never been to New York City. I would love to see Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, and Ground Zero. I would also love to see at least one Broadway play. I think it would also be fun to visit one of the morning news shows, like Good Morning America.

Bucket List #4-6

#4 --- Visit Italy & tour Rome and have plenty of time to explore --- Last year, I read two different books that were set in Italy. By reading those books, I developed a love for Italy and a desire to go there someday!  I checked books out of the library and did my research. I figured out exactly where I wanted to go. (Well, Hubby would be with me!) We would fly into Venice and spend a couple of days there, exploring. Then, we would take a train across the country to Rome. Along the way, we would make stops in places like Florence and the Tuscan Valley.

#5 --- Visit the Virgin Islands - Go to “Jost Van Dyke” --- I had never heard of Jost Van Dyke until Kenny Chesney wrote about it in one of his songs called "Somewhere in the Sun". I had to look it up to even know where it was (or WHAT it was!). Once I realized where it was and how beautiful it is..... that was all it took! Now, I want to go there! The song talks about a bar named "Foxy's" and the "Firewater Rum" that they have there. I looked up Foxy's on the computer and actually found it! Hubby and I even ordered a T-shirt & hat from there! Someday, we'll make it there! --- And we'll already have the T-shirt! (and hat!)

#6 --- Visit Austrailia --- I don't know much about Austrailia other than what I've seen on TV and in pictures, but I like what I see!! I have always had an infatuation with the continent. I would love to see Sydney and also (maybe) snorkel over the Great Barrier Reef. I say "maybe" because I am terrified of sharks, and from what I've heard... the Great Barrier is NOT the place to go if you are afraid of them! But, it looks so beautiful!!! I also love the way the Aussie's talk!

Bucket List #1-3

Since my mind has been blank lately and I haven't been writing, I decided to blog about my BUCKET LIST! I wrote this Bucket List several years ago, around the time the movie "The Bucket List" came out with Morgan Freeman & Jack Nicholson in it. --- A movie that I really need to go back and watch!

I think I will blog about 3 things on my list per blog entry. That will spread them out over.... gotta' think here a minute.... about 33. 3 days. So, that's a whole month's (plus more!) worth of blogging! Wahooo!!!!!

By the way.... the things on this list are in no real order. They are just in the order that they came to my mind when I wrote the list.

#1 --- Live to see my girls marry the right man, have children and be happy --- Yes. This is very important to me. I want to live long enough to see them each marry, settle down, have children, and be happy. Of course, they can't just marry "anybody"! He has to be the right guy for them. Someone that I know will love and respect them, and take care of them, the way that they deserve to be. I want to see each of them settled into a nice home and start their families. If they choose to have a career... I pray that they are working and doing something that they love and not working just because they have to pay the bills. I pray that their children are all born healthy and that my children live to see this very thing happen to their children.

# 2 --- Celebrate 50+ years of marriage with my Hubby --- We are already at 25 years! We just have 25 more to go!! I pray that we can make it to 50 years and even longer! I pray that we are both healthy and are still very active. I pray that our love will do nothing but grow stronger.

# 3 --- Visit all 50 states --- Yes. I want to travel all over the country and visit each state. Not at one time, of course! But, over time. I have already been to 13, but still have a long way to go! I live in Georgia, and have been (by car) as far west as Louisiana and as far north as New Jersey. And then of course, I have been to Tennessee and Florida. So far......the most beautiful countryside that I have ever seen is when I went to Lancaster, Pennsylvania with my mother-in-law. The prettiest beach that I have ever seen is Santa Rosa Beach on the Gulf Coast. The best city that I've been to is a toss up between Nashville & New Orleans. Well.... I guess I need to throw Washington D.C. into that mix, as well. It's a great place to visit, too!

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE GOING to Universal Studios in Orlando to visit Harry Potter World (HPW).

 -- If you don't have a "special" pass to get in early... you have to enter HPW thru the Jurassic Park section and wait in a line JUST TO ENTER HPW!!

-- You have to have a YELLOW TICKET in order to enter HPW!

-- The wait can be HOURS in length to get into HPW! ~ Depends on what time you get there. ~ My advice is to get there EARLY!

-- Once you enter HPW, you can not re-enter without standing in line again in Jurassic Park.

-- Once you are in HPW, the line to ride "The Forbidden Journey" (inside the castle) is approimately an hour long. (Could be shorter. Could be longer.)

-- Use the lockers INSIDE the castle to store your belongings in, instead of the lockers near the train. The locker time is corresponds with the length of the ride wait. It's crowded in there, but worth it so that you don't have to pay for your locker time. --- They will MAKE YOU get a locker for your belongings, unless they are small like a cell phone or a small camera that can be secured on the ride.

-- The line to ride "The Forbidden Journey" is partly outside (In the Greenhouse) and partly inside the castle. If you can... bring your sunglasses and/or hat!

-- If you have  a place to secure a small camera -- TAKE IT!! You will want to take photos inside the castle as you wait to ride.

-- If you have $$$ on you, then yo can purchase drinks (even beer!!) while waiting in line in the Greenhouse.

-- The Forbidden Journey ride is AWESOME!!! But, if you are prone to motion sickness... then, this ride is not for you. It is partly virtual flying, mixed with spinning, and tilting... and.... I have no idea how else to describe it!!

-- Wear shoes that stay on your feet, if you can. Your feet dangle!

-- Hogsmeade is really neat! But, is a small area and is very crowded!

-- Be prepared to wait in a long line to get into The Owl's Post & Ollivander's Wand Shop. They only allow so many people into the shops at a time.

-- If you bring a card or letter that is already stamped, you can have it postmarked with the Hogsmeade postmark and mail it right there!! (Outside the Owl's Post) No waiting time!

-- The candy store & joke shop are neat to go into, but they are very small and they only allow so many people in at a time. The wait is not long, tho.

-- The main souvenir shop is the one located under the castle, as you exit the ride. It is VERY crowded!!! But, has some wonderful souvenir's!!

-- If you want to purchase a wand and don't want to stand in line to enter Ollivander's... there is a kiosk outside the castle where you can purchase a wand. Price's range from $25 to $50.

-- If the line for the Butterbeer is too long at the kiosk.... go inside Hogs Head and purchase it there. It tastes a lot like a butterscotch cream soda! YUM! (They also sell real beer inside, too!)

I'm still here!!

Ya. I got "lost" for a little while. Adjusting to a new schedule and routine threw me for a LOOP, but I think I have finally fallen into a "rhythm". June has been a busy month!

June 4-6th.... Hubby & I went to Panama City Beach for a short weekend. We were invited to stay with friends at their condo that they have there. What a beautiful place it is! And the view was incredible! It is located very close to Pier Park, which was fun. It was wonderful to get to go to the beautiful Gulf Coast before the yucky oil made it not-so-pretty.

The week of June 14-18th... was VBS at our church. My daughters and I were "Crew Leaders" for the week. This meant that we guided (and were in charge of!) a group of 6-8 kids to the various "stations" set up in various rooms. VBS was from 8:45-12:00 each day. By Wednesday, I felt like it had been TEN days instead of only three!! I am still not sure what made it so tiring, but it was! It was also a lot of fun, tho.

Of course, we have still been training our new puppy (Chester) all this time, too! I do believe that he is FINALLY house-trained, tho!! YIPPEEE!!!! He is still not sleeping thru the night, but he is getting better. Instead of waking up between 3 & 4:00am... he is now waking up closer to 5:00am. I can handle that!

On June 15th, we had him neutered. So, not only was I dealing with VBS that week.... I was also dealing with a puppy that had just had surgery! The instructions say... "Do not let him jump, run, or get excited for 7 to 10 days." --- Do you know how HARD it is to keep a puppy from doing those things????? It was pretty near impossible! It's been over a week now, and he seems to be doing fine. I check his "private spot" every day.... (just to make sure nothing's come "undone"!)... and he looks fine.

This week, has been WAY more relaxing! Plus... I have been preparing for VACATION!!!

If you look back to my post on 4/9/10... you will see that Dtr. #2 had come up with a plan for our family to go Universal Studios this summer. Well........ her technique WORKED!! We are leaving tomorrow morning!!! Can I hear another... YIPPEEEEE!!!!! Hubby is not going. He chose not to, but said that we (my girls and I), could go. So, that is what we are doing. Dtr. #2's b/f is going with us, too. It should be a fun trip! I am beyond excited!!!

So..... once again.... you will not hear from me for a few days. But, this time.... I have a good reason!

Forgiveness and Washing Dishes

You are probably wondering what FORGIVENESS and WASHING DISHES have to do with each other. Trust me! .... I would have NEVER put the two together, either!

First of all, for the past two nights, I have dreamed about washing dishes. The first night, I didn't think much of it. We all dream about things that we do often, .... right? But, then... when I dreamed about it again, it got me to thinking... "Why am I dreaming about this and what does it mean?"

Dreams totally fascinate me, so I just happen to have a DREAM DICTIONARY on my bookshelf. (Don't laugh at me! You know you are curious about them, too!) According to my book... dreaming of washing "anything" suggests getting rid of negative feelings. I didn't think much of it until I started reading my devotions this morning. Wow! As I read, I realized that almost everyone of them had to do with FORGIVENESS. I think God is trying to tell me something, but I am not sure WHO I am supposed to forgive.

There have been several people in my life who have hurt me, one of which I DID forgive. I think I am still dealing with the hurt that the others caused me. I can't help but wonder if these are the people that God wants me to forgive.

I also wonder if He is possibly preparing me a future "hurt". It could be a combination of both. I am not sure.

Check out these Bible verses and devotional words that God put before me this morning ---

From -- "Once a Day, Every Day for Women" devotional

"You have heard that it was said. You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you." --- Matthew 5:43-44

Forgiveness is a choice. When we obey God by offering forgiveness to His children, we are blessed.

Do you harbor resentment against anyone? God's instructions are clear: He commands you to forgive.

God's Word instructs you to forgive others... no exceptions.

From -- "The Upper Room" daily email devotion

"You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. --- Colossians 3:13

See what I mean?? God is REALLY trying to get my attention thru dreams, devotions, & scripture!!!  --- Guess I better start working on forgiving!!