Sunday, April 26, 2009

CRUISE COFFEE

I didn't realize there were so many things to learn about cruises. Like coffee, evidently cruise lines are notorious for bad coffee. While not a coffee-holic, I do like a good cup of coffee in the morning. Milo on the other hand, depends on that jolt. I'm told the French Press is a necessity when cruising. Being too cheap to buy one of my own, I borrowed a nice thermal french press from our friends Stacey & Jim. Then of course we had to experiment with measurements of coffee and water. Now that we have it at a strength that is acceptable to both of us, I just spent the morning measuring 27 snack size baggies of coursely ground coffee from out local coffee house. They are all labeled (of course) and ready to pack. Not sure I'll have room for any clothing, but we will certainly be awake. Let's hope the TSA doesn't think it's contraband. The sniffing dogs will be wired....

Sunday, March 29, 2009

COMING SOON: Travel update

Be sure to flag our blog to keep up with our travels.
Milo and I are leaving on April 28th for almost 3 weeks, along with Cousin Rhonda and Cousin Frieda. We will be flying from San Francisco, to Barcelona where we will begin our Western European Cruise!
We will do our best to keep you updated on our adventures.
Bon Voyage!

Monday, March 2, 2009

Amy needs an update


I am so inspired by my wonderful nieces who keep their blogs up to date. I love the entire family and I miss them terribly. It's a treat to keep up with the kids when I live so far away. My niece Amy, once said she stopped reading my blog because it never changed...so here's to change!
Last week I visited my sister Tammy who lives in Clearwater Florida. Sister Cheryl from the Buffalo area came too. I realized that if I ever start feeling old, all I need to do is call my sisters. We laughed the entire time. Every situation reduced us to tears, no matter how insignificant. They are all "had to be there" moments but I will try sharing one with you.
Getting ready for the beach is just as difficult without kids as it is with them. After loading the car with blankets, towels, chairs and tuna sandwiches, we all dog-piled in...seatbelts fastened without any scolding on anyones part this time. Tammy, who was the driver, couldn't get her car door closed. It was stuck on the curb. This alone was enough to send us into bouts of hysteria, but when we realized it was from all the weight in the car, it was even funnier. How much can four (Cousin Diane was with us) middle aged women weigh? OK, fair enough, one of us had to get out so that our tour guide could close the drivers side door. Being the gracious younger sister, Tammy bounced out of the car and gave a tug on the door. nothing. Now the question became "who's next"? Tammy, being slightly more diplomatic than the rest of us stood outside of the car waiting patiently and not saying a word. OK...I guess being the older sister, I should be the one to get out of the car. When I did it sprung back to it's original height and the car door closed effortlessly, humiliating me in the process.
....Now, you may not find that as amusing as we did, but lets just say not only does middle age add a few pounds, but it also takes it's toll on ones bladder.
Amy, is that what you wanted to hear?

Friday, December 26, 2008

Where do I begin? I guess January would be the logical place. Milo and I had the chance to go to Grand Cayman where Milo had a business meeting. This job in the Caribbean is really paying off...in oh so many ways! We stayed at the Ritz Carlton and had a great vacation in spite of the fact that we are still paying for it.

February was filled with family and work...all of it good. Our son Scott's 36th birthday was a momentous (translate: traumatic) occasion for us.

March came in like a lamb and left with me another year older. Grateful for having those birthdays! Milo traveled to the Bahamas for more meetings....poor baby, and Milo Sr. came to visit with Mary. Always a lot of fun! Did I mention that Milo II & Milo III are clones? Wish we could have known Milo the first...wonder how that would be?

In April, my friend Patti, whom I have known since 2nd grade, came for a visit. We went to San Francisco and did all around girl things. What a great visit!

Milo left for a meeting in Barbados (did I already say "poor baby"?) and returned in May. Lots of fun things in May. My friend Marianne is the host of Good Day Sacramento and she asked me to join a few other girls for an "on air" lesson in scrapbooking. I'm not a great scrapbooker, so I think Marianne just needed to fill the room. I also went to Idaho for Maureens (my step-sister in-law) graduation. Don't you just love an extended family? I couldn't ask for a better one. We are really proud of Maureen for going back to school to get her teaching degree.

June gave Milo and I the opportunity for a long weekend in Mendocino wine tasting. One of our favorite pastimes. Milo alos went to Iceland for a business meeting.....ICELAND! Can you imagine? I'll need to figure a way to link the photos. One of the higlights of my life was at the end of June when we had a "girl-cousins reunion". All 6 of us girls here at the house. Milo was in his glory. That visit deserves a blog all it's own, but I will work on a separate posting.

In July Milo had a meeting in Miami. By now his frequets flyer miles are off the charts and the staff at American Airlines knows him personally. The last weekend in July found us in Idaho for our annual Pearson family party. Seems like we've added an entire new generation since the previous year. From Idaho I went to Orange County to visit with Milos mom while his sister went on vacation. Milo joined me after a few days and we had a nice visit.

August was a really busy month, with work and travel. Milo went to St. Lucia (need I say "poor baby" again?) and then joined Scott and I in the Buffalo area for a fun fun visit. He was supposed to go on to England (yes, for a business meeting) but came down with a horrible head cold and cancelled his flight.

Nothing spectacular happened in September, other than lots of work preparing for my event on October 4th for the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. Lots and lots of work. I had the opportunity to visit with Patti (you remember her from April) and 2 other girlfriends in Huntington Beach - my old stomping grounds. It was great. Lots of giggling and eating and walking. I had the opportunity to do an interview with KMAX in Sacramento about being a cancer survivor. They mad eme look pretty good! We had a small gathering at our house for Halloween. This year brought about 200 Trick-or-treaters. Usually we have closer to 400!!!

In November, Milo travelled to Tokyo and to Washington D.C. By now, he is pretty tired of traveling... but wait!...there's more to come before the year is out. Marianne and I made a few train trips to shop. We hit San Francisco and Berkeley and decided that, while not inexpensive, the train is a great way to go. My mother came to visit us for Thanksgiving. We had a good visit and good food and spent a wonderful day in San Francisco where we sampled most forms of transportation known to man/woman.

Which brings me to December. It's not over yet but at this point, Milo has been to San Francisco and Los Angeles for, you guessed it, business meetings. On the Monday before Christmas the two of us went to Orange County to celebrate with good friends and his mom's side of the family. We flew home late on Christmas Eve on a half empty plane, and drove home from the airport. Scott was here waiting for us. He spent the night and we had a peaceful pleasant Christmas Day with gifts and food. There are 6 more days left this year.....where will they take us? Stay tuned.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

What's Important to me...

My family, friends and good health are the most important thing to me. In the line-up is the enjoyment I get from taking pictures of everything and everybody. I have more pictures of the sunset from my back deck than you can imagine. I can't tell one from the other, but to capture the moment is a great thrill. Unfortunately, I like to share them with everyone, even those who don't care to see them. Hopefully I will soon learn how to make photo links to this page so that you can choose whether or not to view them. Expect to see plenty of family, friends and vacation photos in the future.

How I fill my days

  • Travel has become a regular part of our lives, and with the help of xanax, I love it!
  • I like to cook and try new recipes when the urge strikes. Milo often chips in when I let him know he is in the mood to help as well.
  • On occasion I still do event planning for local non-profit organizations, but I don't actively seak those jobs.
  • Milo started Insurance Solutions Group over 4 years ago and the growth of that business keeps me busy with marketing, accounting and general operations.
  • Kickboxing is my excercise of choice. I tried Jazzercise, but couldn't get my arms and legs to move at the same time without someone getting hurt.
  • I enjoy scrapbooking during the winter evenings when I don't want to brave the cold
  • Since I have a difficult time sitting still, I like to crochet in front of the TV
  • I am a volunteer for the American Cancer Society. It is my passion and my purpose.

FUN FACTS

On her blog, my niece listed 100 things about herself from a suggestion by a girlfriend. Milo wanted to know if I would do the same. He thought it was a good idea if I would mention him as number one. To that end, I thought Fun Facts would be more appropriate. Who knows how many I'll come up with.

Fun Facts...the saga begins

  • 1) I was born in Kenmore NY on March 25, 1952. I considered not showing my birth year, but decided I was pleased to be alive, so why not?
  • 2) I have a great son, Scott David Slater and my life basically revolves around him much to his dismay.
  • 3) I am married to the love of my life, Milo Pearson III, yes, he's the third. (one of those fun facts.)
  • 4) I hesitated to mention that I have been married before, because of the stigma attached, but our history makes us who we are today. Both are good men and while I am happy to call them "ex"s", I am also happy that they are still a part of my life.
  • 5) In 1970, I was the first female limo driver/tour guide in Niagara Falls NY. At that time, it was my contribution to women's lib. others were burning their bras.
  • 6) I am a breast cancer survivor since 1993! Woo Hoo