Gordy's Plight

Gordy

We had a wonderful trip while visiting my dad and family in Florida.  As much as we would have liked to have seen everyone, time was just not on our side!  Hopefully our next trip we will be able to spend more time.

My husband and I love the beach and Florida has some of the most beautiful white sandy beaches around! We stayed on Treasure Island, right on the beach. We love waking up and having our first cup of coffee on the shore.  The Dolphins and Manatees are usually out that early and it is fun to watch.  During our stay we did end up meeting a sweet bird named Gordy.

Gordy ended up being my husband's fishing buddy!  His family can be found in North and Central America, however Gordy lives on Treasure Island, Florida.  I am not an expert, but I think Gordy told me he was a Great Blue Heron.  We met Gordy while my husband was trying to...fishing!

Last time we were here, Gordy's cousin Eucalyptus stole my husband's bag of fish.  So Rick was very watchful of Gordy, although this time Rick's bag was empty, so I am not sure what all the fuss was about!!

Gordy stayed right by Rick and I while he fished. It was so sweet how he stood there patiently waiting. As the sun grew higher in the sky Gordy got hotter! He started to pant a little and pull out his wings to cool down, I was starting to get worried. I didn't want the poor thing to pass out while waiting for Rick to finally catch something!

Oh wait, Rick caught a fish!! Gordy was so excited, he started to pace back and forth, waiting for Rick to give him the fish.  Rick was so proud of his catch, I was hoping he was still going to give it to Gordy.  After all he waited all this time.

But wait, oh no... I can't believe it, Rick dropped the fish and he got away. You should have seen Gordy's face, poor baby. Rick tried to explain that his hands were too slippery, that maybe it wasn't a good fish anyway for Gordy to eat, that the sun got in his eyes, that the wave almost knocked him down and what else could he do?

Gordy was so disappointed.  He had been waiting for hours there.  He started to walk towards the rocks. I didn't think he would jump, but would he? Was he that upset?  Was he now thinking that just maybe he had picked the wrong fisherman man?

I begged him to stop, that it wasn't worth it.  I told him that there were other fishermen out there that would gladly share their catch with him. He just looked at me and flew away!

He did come back later.  I am not sure, but I think he must have been watching from a shady spot, because Rick did catch a few fish.  Gordy was right there ready for his treat.  This time Rick was careful not to drop them!


Rom 8:25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Up, Up, Up! Travel the World with Your Child!

Front Cover

Sing a long while reading this colorful book!

Travel around the world with your children!

I can fly!

 Up, Up, Up! By Susan Reed and Rachel Oldfield

This airborne adventure takes readers ballooning over lands near and far, all the way to the stars. The charming singalong song on the accompanying CD keeps spirits high, while the rhyming and playful text introduces all sorts of settings and vocabulary-building words.


Book with enhanced CD edition includes an animated video and audio singalong sung by Susan Reed.

Ages 3 to 7 years 

Turn up the volume and enjoy singing along with your children!

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Do Goal Posters Really Work?

I started using goal posters a few years ago.  On my very first one I wrote that I would be visiting Italy.  For years I had wanted to go, but there was always a small voice in my head telling me that I would never get there.

However, this time I decided that it was going to be different.  I could picture myself looking at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, walking through Rome and seeing all the sites, and traveling around the Mediterranean.  I never shared this with my husband.

For two weeks I rewrote and read my goals over and over and when I closed my eyes I would picture myself in Italy.  That next day my husband announced that he had a surprise for me! I couldn't believe the surprise, he had purchased 2 tickets to Rome and we were going on a cruise to the Mediterranean in less than a week!!  Then I showed him my notebook and he couldn't believe what he was reading!!

We landed in Rome and spent two nights in a Bed and Breakfast right in the heart of the city.  As soon as we ate breakfast we were off to see the sites.  The first place we visited was St. Peter's Basilica, we walked  through  St. Peter's Square and went inside.

Of course I had seen pictures of the Basilica before, but nothing could equate to actually seeing it in person. It really could take you more than a day just to see everything. We then went to the Sistine Chapel. It was pretty hot in there and I was glad it was only April.  I am not sure how it would be in the summer's heat.

   

 

"The Last Judgment is a fresco by Michelangelo on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. It took four years to complete and was executed from 1537 to 1541."

View of Rome from the Vatican Museum

I still couldn't believe we were here.  The next day we continued walking through Rome.  Our next stop was the Trevi Fountain. The fountain was finally finished in 1762. One of the legends is that when you throw a coin into the fountain, it will assure you a return visit to Rome.  There is reportedly over 3000 euros collected from the fountain each day! 

Of course we couldn't miss the Colosseum, that is my husband in the picture!  We had a wonderful time there and can't wait until we can go back.

The next morning we woke up early and walked to the train.  It was a little nerve-wracking at first, as the train station was a little confusing to us, but we soon figured out which one to take and we were on our way to Savona.  That next morning we were to catch the cruise ship to continue on our trip. 

From Savona we went to Naples and then we stopped in Palermo, Sicily.  That  was a treat for me since my family is from there. The trip continued stopping at Tunisia, Africa and then on to Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma, which is more commonly known as La Seu

We just thought this was funny to see there, but they serve beer  too!

We then traveled to Barcelona, Spain and the following day we arrived in Marseille, France.  We had such a wonderful time.  Finally on Easter Sunday we arrived back in Savona, Italy.

We needed to get to Pisa so that we could go to Easter service.  We rented a car and drove from Savona and finally found our hotel in Pisa.  I wish I could remember the name of the Bed and Breakfast there, but it was so wonderful.  We knew that we needed to get to the Leaning Tower of Pisa if we were to catch the service.  The kind man at the hotel desk told us that we could walk to the tower from there.
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We started walking the winding streets of Pisa, and still couldn't see the tower.  We came upon a bridge and crossed it.

Then I looked up and right in front of us was the beautiful Leaning Tower of Pisa.  It almost looked like a picture on a poster than the actual building. I guess I still couldn't believe I was there.

Rick and I in Pisa

It was a wonderful Easter Sunday.  We made it to church and enjoyed Mass in Italian! Then we walked back to the  hotel and stopped and had a delicious dinner in town.  I had my favorite dessert, Tiramisu and I don't think I have ever had one like that one!

Our room was on the second floor overlooking the garden, we woke up to the aroma of fresh baking bread and the birds singing off of our balcony.  I think this was the highlight of our trip for both of us.  After breakfast we reluctantly got in our car and started the final leg of our trip back to Rome.

Driving through Tuscany

We will never forget this trip and how blessed we were to be able to go and see all these wonderful places. 

Now is this a mere coincidence or does the action of writing your goals down, or creating goal posters work?  I sure think so!!