A to Z Blog Challenge ~ O

The word for today is OYSTERS.

I know. This is a strange word for me to pick. I never would have thought that the sentence... "I love to eat oysters."... would ever come out of my mouth!!!

I always thought of them as nasty and slimy!

But.... there is always a first time for everything, and then add the fact that I can pretty much be talked into anything.... I had the opportunity not too long ago to try oysters. One of my friends that I went to New Orleans with, had a get together at her house and oysters were on the menu.

First, I tried one RAW, on a cracker, with hot sauce. I was nervous. But, I ate it and it wasn't bad. It wasn't my "favorite", but it wasn't bad either. I think I may have eaten one more of these, but I'm not sure.

Then, my friend put FRESH Parmesan cheese on some and roasted them for a few minutes in the oven. WOW!!!! These were oh-my-gosh DELICIOUS!! Of course, I love cheese, so that may have played a roll in why I loved them so much! I ate several of these! YUM!

I didn't have oysters when I went to New Orleans with my friends, but Hubby and I had them a couple of times while we were there.


(I tried to upload a photo, but for some reason... it won't load. Sorry about that!)

Since the recent BP Oil Spill disaster, I have had the fishermen on the oyster industry on my mind. I pray that they have been able to continue their business and can once again, gain profit from it. If I could... I would be down there this Fall, ordering and eating some!!

A to Z Blog Challenge ~ N

Today's word is NEW ORLEANS, which is one of my very places to visit!

I used to say.... "I have no desire to go to New Orleans", until a friend invited me to go with her and 2 other friends for a "girls trip", last Spring.

I still didn't have much of a desire to see the city, but I REALLY wanted to get away for a weekend with the girls!

I came away from that trip with a LOVE for New Orleans, but also realized that I didn't want to do another "girls trip" anytime soon! --- Too much drama!! LOL! But, I did have fun, over all.

After that trip, I couldn't wait to take Hubby there!! So, last Fall.... we went and had a WONDERFUL weekend! Here are a few pics from our trip....

Cafe' Du Monde

This photo was taken right before I had my "ghost experience"!! Yes!! I am almost positive that a ghost tapped me on the shoulder!! I felt a "tap" and when I turned around.... no one was there!!! It was crazy!! New Orleans is famous for it's ghost, so.... "I'm just sayin'".

Hubby at Cafe' Du Monde

One of our favorite places!!

Photo by the "Mighty Mississippi"

Hubby :)

A famous Bourbon Street scene. I love this hotel to the right. It's so beautiful!

This is Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar. It is noted as the oldest bar in the United States. (I call it... "Old Bar") Hubby and I loved it! It was our favorite place to hang out at. We were there during football season and enjoyed watching the Saints play and being involved in the excitement of the game with the locals while we watched the game on TV. It was great fun! You can read about "Old Bar" by clicking here... OLD BAR.

I was really hoping to get back to New Orleans next month, but... sadly... it will have to wait until next year.

Twin Fin

This is the third edition to my new hobby of learning more about WINE.

I bought this wine, along with another one (I'll blog about it soon!), for my trip to the beach.

"Wally World" is not my first choice in places to buy wine, but because I was pushed for time... I had no other choice but to buy my wine there, while I was buying other things that I needed for the beach.

Dtr. #2 was with me because this was the week after my surgery and I couldn't drive. You can read my post about that HERE. We didn't have a lot of time because she had to get back home and get ready to go to work. So... I hurridly glanced over the selection in front of me and because the labels are what make my decision, I felt rushed to find one that I liked. I didn't have a whole lot to choose from, but this one did catch my eye.

I had seen it before and it had intrigued me, then. It was a cheap wine, so this allowed me to look for another one to go along with it! -- more on it at a later time.

Because I was pressed for time... I didn't realize that this wine was also a Chardonnay, like the previous one that I tried. --- My goal, right now, is to try all different types of WHITE WINE. But, that was ok. I really liked the previous wine. **Smile**

There was a website on the bottle, but when I went to it, it was no longer there. So.... I "googled" it and this is what I found at http://www.wine.com/....

Twin Fin

Hugh Reimers and Sam Burton are not your typical winemakers. When they decided to start the Twin Fin, they wanted it to be really different—to capture the California lifestyle they’ve come to love. “We are part of a new generation of wine drinkers,” says Hugh. “We wanted to make this wine as a connection to all the things that we love: sand and surf, snowboarding, golf, living the California Dream. Twin Fin is cool, classic, but laid back and generous. It’s just plain great.”


“Twin Fin is all about fun: relaxed, and always comfortable,” says Sam. “Good wine is like those experiences that become memories, where the horizon signifies not an end, but a beginning—of the next wave, the next adventure, the next possibility. It’s where quality and personality, character and substance all meet in one bottle.”


Hugh and Sam are not what you’d expect from winemakers; these guys are better. While they both have impressive backgrounds – Hugh graduated from Australia’s top winemaking school and Sam has worked with wineries in all of the major wine regions of Australia – they also know how to have a good time. They really live in the spirit of the wine they create: people that work hard and play hard.


“We get the grapes from select vineyards along California’s Central Coast,” says Sam. “That gives us great wine quality, and a chance to travel to all the places we love to visit.” This winemaking duo makes six wines: Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir. The wines are fresh and fruit-driven and offer tremendous quality for the price—just right for everything from beach barbecues to dinner with the in-laws. “The perfect night, the perfect friends and the perfect wine—it’s that easy with Twin Fin,” says Hugh.

To me.... the stories are what make the wines special. I love reading about them, as well as tasting them!

My thoughts on this wine --- I liked it. It was good. It gets a "Thumbs Up".

Here's a photo of the back label. Sorry that part of it's missing. I finished this wine while we were at the beach and I left it in the cooler to travel home. I didn't want it to get broke. I didn't think about the label getting too wet and pealing off! Oops!

I was also disappointed when I went to open this wine. It wasn't until then that I realized that it had a "screw off lid" and not a cork! I have been saving my corks and didn't have one to save with this wine. Oh well. Lesson learned! **Smile**

A to Z Blog Challenge ~ M

Today's word is MONEY. Unlike, the word LOVE, from last time.... I do not like this word!! This word does not bring me happiness in any way, shape or form. It brings nothing but grief in my house. It never seems like we have enough of it.

It's sad because it seems that our whole lives revolve around MONEY! We all need it. It's not something that we can live without. We need it to buy food for our family. We need it to pay for a roof over our head. We need it to buy gas for our cars. We need it to pay for our kids' education. We need it to pay our doctor's when we are sick. The list goes on and on.

Money makes people greedy and can make some people become dishonest, causing them to lie, cheat and steal in order to get more of it. Some people become addicted to trying to get more money, while others become selfish and don't want to let go of theirs. They want it all for themselves.

Money can cause unwanted stress in marriages and families. I have often heard that one of the main reasons that marriages fall apart is because of money issues.

Lack of money can bring on other issues such as depression.

Money makes some people lose sight of God. It becomes all that they think about and focus on.

I believe that money truly IS the "root of all evil" and "money does not bring you happiness".

God's Word (The Bible) teaches us many lessons on money thru the scriptures. Here are just a few ---

Proverbs 1:19 -- Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money;it robs them of life.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 -- Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!
Matthew 6:19 -- “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.
Matthew 6:24 -- “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
1 Timothy 6:10 -- For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Hebrews 13:5 -- Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you.I will never abandon you.”

Time for a Change

Please bare with me as I change my background. I'm ready for FALL whether it's really here yet, or not!

I'll write more, soon. I promise!

Happy to be Biking Again

Today was the first day that I have rode my bike since back in the Spring. It felt soooooo good to be riding again! Yes, I could have ridden it throughout the Summer, but I'm a wimp when it comes to the heat! The temperature has to be right and the humidity has to be below 70%!

I went back to my favorite place to ride .... Callaway Gardens. I am so thankful to have it be less than a 30 minute drive from my house. It is my very favorite place to go to be by myself. It is so very peaceful!

I arrived at the park when they opened at 9:00am. I wanted to get there early to take advantage of the cool morning temperature of 68 degrees (That's cool compared to the 90+ temps that we've had!). I couldn't wait to get on my bike and RIDE! It had been way too long!

I was doing fine until I hit the first HILL! I struggled to get up it, but I never got OFF my bike! That is one of my rules. I will NOT get off my bike and PUSH IT! I made it up the hill and it felt great! I did stop at the top of the hill for a water break... but, I still did not get off my bike!

I continued until I got to the Chapel in the woods. I parked my bike, grabbed my camera and my cell phone and walked down to the lake and sat where I was facing the Chapel. It was very peaceful.

I decided to look out over the lake to see what kind of wildlife that I could see.

I noticed this Blue Herring (at least, I "think" that's what he was!) standing not too far away.

I walked a little closer to get a better view of him. ~ I love my 10x Zoom on my camera!

Back on my bike, I took this picture of one of my favorite parts of the bike trail. I like it because it is FLAT! It is also very beautiful!

As I cruise around the many lakes, I like to look for the turtles sunning themselves on the logs. Today, this one was the ony one that I saw. Wonder where his friends were?

Here's one of the many beautiful views of the golf course and lakes.

I love COLOR, and back in the Spring, when I was biking at Callaway... I would always see lots of flowers and blooming plants along the trail. Today, I didn't see any color until I came across this holly bush (or tree. I'm not sure which!) with it's bright reddish-orange berries. This "bush" brought back some childhood memories of mine. These type of bushes grew near the apartment building that I grew up in. My friends and I would always pick them and either use them as weapons to throw at each other or use them as food to feed our dolls!

Next, as I rode along... I came across the Garden Restaurant. I couldn't help but be inspired to take these next few photographs. I think these are my favorite!

As I came around the next lake, I stopped to take this photo of the boat house. I wanted to take more, but I couldn't get a clear shot of it through the trees. But, I am happy with this one that I DID get!

My next stop was at my favorite bench swing that is secluded off to itself next to one of the lakes. Every time that I go biking at Callaway, I pray that this swing is available. Today.... it was! Thank you, Lord! Words can not describe the peacefulness of sitting on this swing, listening to the birds chirp and the rustling of the leaves on the trees as the slight breeze blows. The only interruption that I had was a big fish that kept jumping in the water! He made me laugh every time! My Lord knew that I needed this quiet time with Him so that I could work through some things and talk (and listen!) to Him.

Thank you, bike, for the wonderful ride today. I'm so glad that we're back together again! I missed you!



A to Z Blog Challenge ~ L

Today I get to write about one of my very favorite words.... LOVE! Just the word alone makes me feel all warm and cozy inside!

The word love has lots of meanings. I really like what Wikipedia has to say about it ---

Love is the emotion of strong affection and personal attachment.[1] In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. In religious context, love is not just a virtue, but the basis for all being ("God is love"[2]), and the foundation for all divine law (Golden Rule).

The word love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure ("I loved that meal") to intense interpersonal attraction ("I love my wife"). "Love" can also refer specifically to the passionate desire and intimacy of romantic love, to the sexual love of eros (cf. Greek words for love), to the emotional closeness of familial love, or to the platonic love that defines friendship,[3] to the profound oneness or devotion of religious love. [4] This diversity of uses and meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, even compared to other emotional states.

For me... the greatest love of all is Agape Love. Wikipedia describes it like this ---

In the New Testament, agapē is charitable, selfless, altruistic, and unconditional. It is parental love, seen as creating goodness in the world; it is the way God is seen to love humanity, and it is seen as the kind of love that Christians aspire to have for one another.

I like the part about it being "selfless" and "unconditional". That's the kind of love that we should ALL have for one another!


The Apostle Paul glorified love as the most important virtue of all. Describing love in the famous poem in 1 Corinthians, he wrote, "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres." (1 Cor. 13:4–7, NIV)
 
In my book.... these are DEFINITELY words to live by!
 
Even country music artist, Alan Jackson, wrote about love, and also quoted verse 13:13 of 1 Corinthians, in his song ..."Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning"... which he wrote after 9/11. ---
 
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

Click HERE if you would like to see the video of Alan singing this song. ~ It's beautiful!

I have also always loved HEARTS. They make me smile inside, just like the word LOVE does!

Just the other day, I was at the post office getting some stamps. I noticed the poster on the wall displaying the latest LOVE stamp. I have always had a "thing" for stamps and the LOVE stamp has always been my favorite! This is the one that I saw posted on the wall ---

 

This is the LOVE stamp that I first fell in love with. It's from 1984.