Why?

Some of my close friends are going through extremely rough times right now. One, has cirrhosis of the liver; one's brother died and mother is with hospice; one is having surgery, and the list goes on. How do I respond to these people who are obviously hurting?

As I talk, I have to refer to the God of the Universe Who is still in control. It sounds trite but it is so very true. I am praying for their hurting; I am praying for their healing; I am praying to be able to help in some way.

Only God knows where our lives will go and what will happen along that path, but I am reminded of a quote from a very wise professor [Dr Diane Schwope] who once said - "IF I BELIEVE GOD IS IN CONTROL OF MY LIFE, THEN I MUST BELIEVE I AM EXACTLY WHERE HE WANTS ME TO BE." Sometimes that is not easy to believe, especially when we "go through" whatever is happening at the time. I don't claim to have that "down" all the time, but I am working on it.

I have become extremely pragmatic, especially as I experience more of life. Life is so fleeting and so real that some times I forget as I move along, I get focused on THIS LIFE. As I deal with the day, I have to be grateful. Don't get me wrong, I am also realistic. We are the total sum of all our experiences, but I like to believe I am getting better with age like fine wine and cheese. The truth is, I can't go through a day without God's help. And, I like it that way! Living where I do, I think I'll go to the beach today. God is good.

A new day

I currently have the "car" fever. My son just bought a new SUV. While I think SUVs are a "necessary evil", they are just NOT my style.

I now have a 2004 red, Mustang, convertible, and it suits me fine. I love driving so we were MFEO, or "made for each other." (Yes, I've seen "You've Got Mail.") So, the obvious thing to do is look for another Mustang. I DO want another car, but I HATE, HATE, HATE shopping for one. My solution and perfect for me, is internet shopping.

Through various ways, I have had e-mails from 3 dealerships. They are all about the same in price, same features, same add-on options and discounts. WHAT WILL SEAL THE DEAL FOR ME? I'm not sure. One big factor is what my credit union let's me borrow. While I am doing okay financially, I still have to finance a car or house. I haven't garnered enough resources yet to pay cash for those items. (That is a personal goal of mine though)

Another factor that will help me decide is the personality and endurance of the sales person. Will they hang on long enough, not be obnoxious but still seem interested, and keep me interested? I don't know. This is a whole new game to play out in cyberspace. TOTALLY ANONYMOUS. I think I like it. Oh and yeh, I never DID get to the beach last week.

It's Not Easy Being Me

Another week is almost over and sometimes I feel my whole life is just zipping by. Maybe it's my age, or maybe it just "IS" a fast moving world; I don't know which it happens to be, but my life seems so full and busy that I some times want to yell, "Hey!!! Let me off."

I really need to get to the beach. That is what really refreshes me. I am a true "crab" sign in that I feel best when I am by the water and in the sun. I am going to try to get there on Saturday of this week. Most any beach will work, but I prefer one that has changing rooms and showers. That makes it easier when you are finished sunning you can always take a shower and get the salt water off before heading home.

I have a rough day tomorrow, too. Our latest department "team building" exercise is to go to a "Park" and have lunch at my favorite restaurant - "Js". We get to do lots of events, eat, and socialize - Man it's rough!!! Somebody has to do it. I'm just glad it's me. For this week, at least, I guess I'll just muddle through.

Is it Mobile or Mobil?

After my field trip to St Augustine, FL, I dragged myself out of bed at 5:00 am to be able to shower for my trip to Mobile, AL. It is Easter week-end; the most Holy of all weekends for the Christian populous and I am on my way to a leadership conference to judge artwork of school-aged children. I was not happy about the timing. I was not happy about the early departure. I was not a happy camper. I tend to get crabby when I am tired, hungry and just inconvenienced in general. (I am so spoiled)

Why was I doing this? Several months before, I had "volunteered" to help some children at church write essays for a pre-convention event, not totally realizing that I would be going there and the actual date of the event. It took 8 hours to finally get to Mobile. I had anticipated a leisurely afternoon with a swim, some reading while getting the "rays" by the pool, great dinner and to be ready for the judging the next day. THIS IS "NOT EXACTLY" how it happened.

The hotel, formerly part of the Adam's Mark chain, was under renovation. (Need I say more?) The whole 4th floor was closed - due to renovation - the pool area was included. The parking garage was closed- due to renovation - so I had to park in a municipal parking area around the block. The entrances from the parking garage were closed - due to renovation - I had to drag my "stuff" around, across and up and down from the parking area. AND, if that wasn't enough the Dinner hour was at 5:30 and I had a meeting then, that I had not known about. Needless to say, I was not a happy camper.

I TOTALLY needed an attitude adjustment. You see, when I was younger and "stupider" this type of thing would have allowed me to stay angry for days. God has shown me that it is without a doubt, the dumbest thing I can do to let circumstances affect my attitude and how I treat other people. I needed to get alone with God and get ME straightened out.

My personality is a lot like my birth sign, the crab. I retreat, recollect my thoughts, and then come back out with a better perspective on everything. God has shown me that I am so much better off then and I don't have to apologize for all the nastiness I do and say. So, I took a shower and found a bar area in the hotel that would give us something to eat. It's amazing how much better I felt after that.

The first picture is out our room window of the harbor @ Mobile. Not a bad view, huh? It was actually very interesting. On one side there was the Convention Center, which you can see the top of in the bottom lefthand corner of this picture. To the right, there is a cruise ship in the harbor, docked for boarding.

We are so fortunate with our weather. We had totally great weather both driving days. In addition to this picture, below you can see a picture of our room, which wasn't all that bad either.

I was able to be home fairly early last night; got a good nights sleep, and up in time for church this morning.

I am truly grateful for my blessings. On this Christian High Holy Day, I am especially thankful for my family, my home and my church. God is very good to me.

I've Been Busy

(Here I am with the same view, basically, as my trip to Hong Kong. This IS a different color, granted, but basically the same place. I am on the bus with two classes of 4th graders.)

This has been an extremely busy week. M,T,W I worked. I had to do a lot of "things" on Wed that I normally do on Thursday because I was privileged to go on Thursday with a fourth-grade class to St Augustine. I must say, I was impressed with the tour. Instead of just going there, trying to "discover" the history of St Augustine, the teachers had the wonderful idea of booking a tour, buses and all.

Being a former teacher, I never once thought to do this. And, I'm sorry I didn't. It was great. The group was organized, on-time, and a professional visit to our oldest city was had by all.

This was our first stop - bathrooms of course.

The bus driver got us there safely, with "lots of scenery to see" , and earlier than we had previously thought we would get there. That was great for us. It gave us extra time to "shop."

From there, we went to the fort. This time we only ate lunch, but we still had to keep off the walls.

The chamber of commerce would have been proud of the day. There was a slight breeze blowing off the water so it was an ideal day to visit central Florida.

The fort was part of our tour, as was the old school house, and the old part of the city.

It was built over 300 years ago of coquina shells and has to be protected from the oils on our hands and the elements of the weather, as much as possible.

Our guide was so informative and knowledgeable about the fort. She made it interesting and exciting just learning all about the many phases of ownership and occupation mostly by the Spanish, French, and English.

One of the "dressed up" guards allowed me to take his picture with Julie. (She was also with me in Hong Kong.)

I wanted to bring him home with us he was so cute, but he said his wife might object. (This was probably true.)

That uniform looked like it would be very warm to wear it, and it was also made out of a type of "burlap" which would not be very comfortable either. But, it made a nice picture.

The picture on the left was looking over one side of the fort to the other side; part of the harbor was visible also.

Scott, on the right, was one of our guides. Nice guy who lives in Ocala and works all over. He has been a guide for 17 years and can't imagine doing anything else. He sounds like he likes his job as much as I like mine.

I was impressed by the room used for meditation. It was a little "rustic" for my taste, but it definitely had it's place in the early days of our country.

There was not much room inside but the character of the place helped to distract.

When it was time to go home, most everyone was ready. There was a lot of walking, and even if it was breezy, it was still around 85 degrees.

It WAS a wonderful day, but I had a packed week-end ahead of me and I had to "sleep fast" for I had to be up, packed and ready for our trip to Mobile, AL the next day by 6 a.m. That trip was also an adventure, but for another blogging.

My Friday

When I am working, we refer to the last day of our week as our "Friday." Today is my "Friday" at work. It is always a joy to go to work. That probably will never change. It just seems that I can't quite get any energy going. I am tired quite a bit and everything seems to be in slow motion. I don't know how to explain that.

It has been an interesting week, though. I have met so many people with a plethora of stories - a 10-year old cancer patient that is visiting through "Make A Wish" foundation; a couple celebrating their 40th anniversary; and the list goes on... each one trying to have a "good time." But does "the place" make the good time or do the people make the good time? Probably a little of both.

I saw a young mother of two sitting on the curb eating hot dogs with her sons. They were clean, but their clothes were not new. I asked her if it was her first trip; she said "Yes Mam." I would guess that she had saved quite a while to be able to afford this trip for her children. They were quietly "having a good time" eating hot dogs, enjoying being with each other. There were no expensive souvenirs; no digital cameras being used; no extra people to interfere with their time. As I observed them later in the afternoon, they seemed to share that secret of a "good time."

I am going to St Augustine tomorrow with one of my little friend's classes; fourth graders. That age is very busy, right? Then on Friday, we leave for Mobile. I find it very interesting that a "church sponsored leadership conference" is on the week-end of the holiest of all Christian holidays. I will miss sunrise service and being in church. (I'll have pictures the next time I blog.)

We have to move in November because the apartment is "going condo" and we're not buying this one. Where to go? This is a very big decision and it is mostly Charles' as he is the primary "bread winner" of the two of us. So, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

As I reflect on this week and look toward the next few, I wonder where I am headed with my life. What's next? Do I go back to school? Do I help buy a house? Do I do nothing? Is there more, OR, is this all there is?

Sunday

I had a severe storm awaken me this morning about 3:30. I don't usually hear storms, but this one was very low and very loud, and as I am still starring into the dark, I thought I'd just blog a little.

I made it through this past week okay. This was the 4th anniversary of Tom's death, and in many ways it was easier than last year, but in many ways so much harder. I don't know how others cope with anything, but I have a tendency to "avoid" unpleasant things in my life. I think somewhere in the back of my mind, if I avoid it, it will go away. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen when someone dies. You have to face those facts straight on; face to face. And, I don't do that well.

I can't honestly say I coped well. I didn't get out of bed much on Friday. I tried to "escape" to somewhere, but I couldn't force myself to leave the condo. I am more able now to "reflect" on events in our lives that we experienced together than I used to be. It's nice to think about the last 8 1/2 years of our marriage. I have found out that every marriage has it's ups and downs, but our last few years were truly blessed with each other. I don't know how Tom would remember them, but I remember the good times and the even crazier times we had. When I would "whine" about something, Tom always said "Sheila! (in his lower voice sound) It will build your character." Well, as anyone who knows much about me, I AM a character. I guess he was right after all.

Thinking Things

Yesterday when I was at work, some men were setting up scaffolding for a taping of a TV show to be taped after the park closed. I watched as they maneuvered the metal bracings and I had to remember Hong Kong. Their scaffolding is bamboo poles thatare tied together with "strips" wound around the connections. These men do all repairs by hand walking all over that "creative" structure. It is like a ballet, movement to their own music that is never heard by the human ears, yet with great grace. As I watched the men in Hong Kong working, I thought to myself, how do they do that? They seem to move effortlessly, rarely with any apparent slipping, side to side doing what needs to be done.

The Chinese are truly amazing people. I saw so much creativity and sheer knowledge of how to get something done. Wanting to be creative, like I do, is not the way to get things done. They manage to accomplish so much with so little, and do it quite well and usually better than most. I am impressed with their expertise.

Today I have many things to do - laundry, allergy shots, wrapping pashminas, car washed, grocery; so much, so little time. But, I'll probably get it all done. You know why? I'm just so blessed with so many conveniences and time. And, I am afterall, in America once again. And, it feels great to be where I am.

What is Normal?

The Magic Kingdom, where I usually work, looked awfully good to me yesterday. It was like going home. Everything was right where it was supposed to be and I so enjoyed being back. Being there seems to make everything all right. I'll have more pictures of the trip, but I have decided to continue blogging. For some reason, it has become a part of my life that I really like doing. It's a way of being open and yet anonymous.


I need the "centering" for my life right now. Today would have been my Mother's 92nd birthday. April 7 is the opening day for Expedition Everest, a new ride here at Animal Kingdom. There is always great celebration and "hoopla" for every new event. It just happens to coincide with the 4th anniversary of my husband's death. For me, that is not a time of celebration. The two events are in stark contrast of each other. While I am happy for the people who get to experience Everest, I have a hard time on this date. It would be very easy for me to slip into the "pit" of depression on this day and I must confess, I have to fight doing that, but I am trying to focus more on my blessings.


I have a great life! No ifs, ands or buts. I cannot complain about how God takes care of me. I seek to be more and more grateful for all I have. This has especially come home to me while I was in Hong Kong. How can people live on san pans? Their whole life is there - home, business, family, possessions, and yet they do. It makes me stop short in my life and especially thank God for all that is given to me.


I am truly blessed with wonderful friends, too. The other three ladies that I have breakfast with every month have so blessed my life; I could never verbally explain to them how much. I have know them for 20 some years and we have been through most of our adult lives together. They have prayed and cried with me. They have supported me when they knew I was probably wrong, but loved me anyway. And, I rejoice with them as we pass milestones in our lives.


I have another group of ladies I have known about 15 years. They are my "church" lady friends and they too have put up with me through numerous encounters in my life. They were the first group to come to my aid the three straight years I had 50% of my immediate family die. Some of them even came to my apt when I was sick with pneumonia at Christmas this year, bought a tree, went to storage and got the ornaments, decorated the apartment, and returned the empty boxes to storage. They too have supported me throughout the events of my life.


I have another group of friends from school. (Don't' tell anyone, but I'm a former teacher) These ladies are equally supportive. Time and time again they have "been there" for me with prayers and "goodies" when it seemed there were no answers, no where to turn, and "what was I going to do" questions.



I am gaining new friends in my new church and on my new job "on this side of the pond" as I call it. I moved to Orlando in November after living in another place for over 20 years. Two of these ladies went to Hong Kong and they took very good care of me while we were there. I even documented one of our events with a T-shirt that says, "I was lost in Hong Kong". (Enough said)


So you see, I'm not just blessed with "things" but I'm blessed beyond measure with intangibles that can't be measured by earth's standards, but by "heart" standards. And, that is truly a blessing.


As I get ready for the day, I have to stop and thank God. Not just for the "things" I have, for I have a good life, but most of all for the friendships. They cannot be measured nor explained.

More Tourist Info

We had some pics left over from our visit to Disneyland. I thought I might publish additional ones that were not included before.

At The Hollywood Hotel, on property. Sandy got to do a survey too. To the above is a picture of Sandy and Johnny, the surveyer. She got a cute keychain with Tinkerbell attached after she finished. She was pleased.

The picture below is from our hotel window at the Hollywood Hotel. I don't think I included it before now.




During the whole trip, my only regret is that I didn't get a picture of Roy and Jack. Visiting Roy, I believe is almost a religious experience. And, well, as far as I am concerned, Disney isn't the only place there is magic performed.

I decided to get a haircut in Hong Kong. I don't know why. Just a whim, I guess. Faye's in a mall area in downtown Hong Kong is "THE" place to visit, in my opinion. Roy not only washes your hair without getting any soap or water down your back and in your ears, but he gives a head and neck massage during the process. He is UNBELIEVABLE!!!. And, he didn't even use pixie dust.

Jack used his shears to remove all the unwanted hair on my head that had grown so quickly. I saw one of the workers in the shop with a hair cut that I liked, so he cut it like that. It did look a little "pixie-ish" on the other girl. On me, it looks more like a flat top. But, I love it.

We ate in a restaurant close to the salon, also in the mall area. The food was okay; too American; too much. If you eat in the Asian "type" restaurants, they give small portions. (Which I think is good.) But, the American "type" restaurants give very large portions and we didn't want to try to transport leftovers.

We found that the typical Asian family shops daily, uses fresh vegetables, and eats small portions. And, they run everywhere, or at least at a fast clip walking. No wonder they don't gain weight easily. (There are lessons to be learned)

I can't say enough good things about the transit system in Hong Kong. It is so easy to maneuver and with a "travel card" it is even easier. The system is color coded for the MTR, which is their rail system. It connects to the rail out to "Dixie Lai" which is "aka" Disneyland, so theoretically, you never have to go outside to do any shopping. The bus system and taxi cabs are equally accessible, also using the travel card. The card is also good at most of the shops or fast food restaurants. It is unbelievable. It's like a debit card where you put money on the card and it automatically deducts the amount needed.

It is about 6 am and it's back to work today. I am soooooooooooooo glad. I really missed the real "Magic Kingdom", which we all know is in Orlando, FL. (And, the real castle and princesses.) I work during the daytime today. I'll get the rest of my week's schedule when I get there. It was a marvelous trip and we have approx 600 pics with all 4 sets of photos, so maybe I'll include more some time, until the next session TTFN (For those who don't know Disney"ese", Ta Ta For Now.

Hong Kong Revisited

Looking back over all my pictures with my friend Ruth, I saw things I had almost forgotten - smoggy days; sky high buildings; hydrofoils; more smog; more Disney. I'm including some of those now:

The pictures below are of downtown Hong Kong.
















The picture to the right is looking off of "The Peak" which is one of the highest points in Hong Kong. As you can tell, we didn't get to see much that day. But, this is how the sky looked most of the time we were in Hong Kong.

The picture below is of Hong Kong on a clearer day. According to our tour guide, the higher up the mountain you live, the richer you are. These are some highrise apartments. This is the type of housing in which most of the people of Hong Kong live. The buildings are too numerous to count, but our guide said the population was 7 million, at the last "loose" count. This picture was taken from a san pan in the China Sea. This was part of our tour of Hong Kong that we took on the second day we were there.














The picture to the left is of the Mtns behind our hotel. This was our view on our last day in Hong Kong. It had rained the day before and we actually saw the sun on this day.

And, to our surprise, the view out the other side of our hotel was amazing. The picture below is of the mtns that we didn't even realize were there.



I left wishing we didn't have 25 travel hours ahead of us. I also left hoping we had taken enough pictures. But most of all, I left praying for Hong Kong. I pray for better air for them; for less stress in their lives; for parents to accept their "daughters" as the beautiful gifts they are; for better understanding between countries, and last but not least, for more people to love and discover the goodness of God.

Celebration

Charles landed a little late because of a late takeoff in Chicago. No explanation was given, but I am thrilled he is here. It was strange at ORA - No listing of any United flight arriving from Chicago; even Information had no record of the flight.

Evidently, Charles walked right past me on his way to baggage pickup. He called my cell and told me where he was. Man was I surprised. (What did we ever do without cell phones).

He's experiencing the "numb" feeling of jetlag. I had never had it before and it is certainly "interesting". This week-end is a double "whammy" for us with daylight savings time on Sunday. Oh well.

I am celebrating both of us being home, safely. God has so blessed us with so many things. I think reality really hit when I got through with customs and the guard said to me - "Welcome home". And, I was glad to be "home."

Home, Sweet Home

Well, we finally arrived home. The A/C was out in the condo and so was the network cable. We arrived late Wed. Actually, the day was a little like the movie"Groundhog Day" in that we couldn't get off the day "Wednesday". We traveled about 25 hours, according to Julie's calculations. When Thursday finally arrived, I didn't. Or, at least my brain had trouble catching up. I was "In Neutral" on Thursday. I don't think I've ever been that out of it. My brain would say something like - "You really need to get up and do something", and my body would answer, "I can't see it happening right now". I spent most of the day in idle.

I slept so much that I woke up this am about 2 am and have been going ever since. It's about 2:30 pm and in less than 4 hrs Charles will be arriving in Orlando, after doing much of the same trip we did on Wed. I expect tomorrow will be a "down" day for him. Julie's computer and phone went haywire on our trip and we were afraid we had lost most of the photos, but she has reassured me that they were all saved and downloaded on a CD. Awesome!

I will be posting some additional pictures when I get her CD. Until then, I think this is all the thinking I can do right now. I will have to follow my great example, Winnie the Pooh, and go to my "thotful spot" for a while. More pics and info on the trip next time.

Julie's Birthday Party

This is one pic from Julie's party last night; more info later. The food was indescribly delicious. I can't tell you "how" much I ate, but it was a lot. The chocolate fountain was ...

I will have to wait to finish my blog until I get home. Hopefully, the pics will transfer and Julie can retrieve hers.

TTFN - TaTaForNow

Another Day

Today is Tuesday. I can't believe it is our last day. It has passed so rapidly and there is so much to say and do yet.

We went to Macau yesterday. That was CERTAINLY a different experience. We started too late; it took 1 hr by MTR (rail) and 1 hr by hydrofoil. We left at 11:30, got to ferry (in picture on the left) by 12:30 and Macau at 1:30. We had to be back to Disneyland Hotel for a Birthday dinner for Julie by 6:30, so we only had time to "look around" before we had to retrace our steps - back on the ferry, back to MTR, back to Hollywood Hotel (on property) to shower and change, and then on to Hollywood Hotel (Also on property) , where Charles was waiting. Whew! Julie's computer has died and she had downloaded all the pics to her computer, so Sandy was kind enough to wait with me this morning at the conference center to download all her pics from yesterday. I took pics with Charles' camera and the card was filled. I didn't get to download those yet. I'll get everything straight when we get back home. I like this so well, I may just keep blogging.




This is looking down one of the "mercado" areas in Macau. The Portugese influence is still extremely previlent in this area. Mercado is the marketplace (for those who don't speak spanish). I actually could maneuver easier than in Hong Kong because of the Hispanic influence. It is very similar to Mexico City in that there were small "kiosk" down extremely small "alleyways" in which to shop.

The architecture is unbelievable. I have always liked this style and found it lovely to view.
As you can see, the picture to the right is of a "Mickey Ds", of which they were abundant or to use a MacKayla phrase, "A Plethera" of McDonalds.

More pictures from Macau -



This is other pics of the marketplace. The upload from this computer takes sooooooooooooo long, even though their technology is probably 5 years ahead of us, it is costing to use this computer so I will not include many more pics. I'll upload some when I get home.




The picture on the left is "meat" that is displayed for sale in one of the "open air" market areas in Macau. I think it was some kind of pork. They had several different "styles".





This was a rickshaw (sp) that could be rented to tour the city. One "tour guide" tried to get us to rent something like this when we were at the ferry location. This one is much more festively decorated. We really didn't know much about the city, so we decided not to do that. It was a good thing for it is very "hilly". The ferry location was quite a distance from the "downtown" area. I'm not sure we could have peddled that far.


It is "way" passed my time limit and I will probably have to pay dearly for this time on the computer, but I needed to add this. I'm off to the park for a turkey leg that I didn't get to have the last time we were there. Charles is "somewhere" there and Julie and Sandy have gone to "Stanley Market" for some last minute presents. We will reunite to go to see the buddha and have dinner together.

We go home tomorrow. I will be sad to leave.

It's ALL Julie's Fault

I like Paul Risner's statement on "Mad About Us" - I'm not as right as I usually am." Well, that has all sorts of implications. Today we were "supposed" to go to Macau with Charles after breakfast. This is one of the first "down" days for him as he has had media here almost every day, so he slept in, and we were slow starting in addition to complications with a missing passport, as a result we couldn't go to Macau today. Instead, Sandy and I returned to the Marriott for me to blog and Sandy to sleep. It seems "someone" kept two other people awake last night due to her not sleeping. I won't mention names, but we are blaming Julie for everything. (That is my story and I'm sticking to it.)

Julie and Charles went to "The Peak." Charles had not been and we went on our tour. I honestly believe 20 minutes was long enough for that visit. Sandy, Julie and I are planning to go to Macau tomorrow instead since Charles has already been. We will probably meet him for dinner when we return.

I really miss Dan's sermon today. I have lost track of days but I think today is Sunday here and maybe not yet in Orlando. I downloaded Dan's podcast last week, but I did it on my mac, which is in St Pete, hopefully being repaired, so I can't listen to it yet, but maybe soon.

This is a pictureless day due to the fact that I can't find Charles' cord for his camera and Julie's Sony fits nothing we have available. Maybe later. (Ask Julie about her Sony stuff)

Whew. What a day.

Once again, we have experienced so many events that it is hard to know what to include. The day arrived and we thought we were prepared for it, but you know how that goes.

We tried to find a restaurant where we could have a bagel, or fruit and sit quietly to meditate and reflect or giggle, whichever came first. After several searches, we found a FOOD COURT area listed on the directory. (We finally resorted to directions) Not all food courts are created equal. This one had 5 or 6 different restaurants just like at home, but not like at home, they all offered the same food-Chinese. I don't know if you know it or not, but Chinese like to mix several food items into bowls and eat it that way; shrimp and noodles and what-ever-else they can possibly throw into a bowl. We didn't see OUR breakfast food, so we kept moving to another restaurant area.

We finally saw Starbucks and got our usual. Venti at home doesn't mean Venti here. Their largest drink size is about our Grande size, but we were happy to find the place. We could have gotten something to eat there, but that would have been too easy. We had to try to find the other corner deli-type place where we had gotten croissants, etc. the other day. After some searching we found it, went in and ordered. We had difficulty convincing the ladies at the counter that we wanted to eat THERE. They wanted to "bag" our order. After we were finally seated, we were informed there was a charge for eating in their little establishment in addition to the food we purchased; probably for just the sheer pleasure of being there. We said to each other, "How much could it be? (Never assume!!!)

After being served our scones, croissant, etc. one of the younger ladies came over and brought us holders for our Starbucks cups and replaced the Starbucks holders with their "logo" holders. It seems once again the Ugly Americans were offensive to another nationality. While it is acceptable to take Starbucks into Panera at home, it obviously isn't acceptable in Hong Kong. We apologized and "ate quickly" telling ourselves we were in a hurry to meet Charles.

Sandy and Julie were charged double the original cost of the food for the "privilege to eat in" cost. I, on the other hand, only paid 5 HK dollars more. That was probably because I am cuter.

We met up with Charles, took the Express Bus to Stanley Market; one of the best places in Hong Kong to shop. And, SHOP we did. It was a great day until Julie and Charles ditched us in the market. Being the wonderful, knowing, kind people Sandy and I are, we didn't panic; we went back to the restaurant. Charles and Julie, on the other hand, hardly noticed we were gone. (Not true Charles ran all over trying to find us) Sandy and I left a note with the waiter at the restaurant and took off to shop some more. Being a very small area, we quickly found them and resumed our shopping mode.

We decided NOT to try to go to the Ladies Market today, as we were mostly pooped and still had to move all our things to Hollywood Hotel "on property" at Disney. Instead, we decided to dump our wonderful purchases in Charles' room, eat dinner at "Dan Ryans" in the hotel and then go back and trek out to Lantau Island to our new digs.

We met a very interesting bloke on the bus coming back. He was Australian. Julie and Sandy like to tease me that I can't detect the different between UK and Australian accents. I haven't hit it right yet. At least I'm consistent. (It's okay; they have to love me.) I half expected him to show up at Dan Ryans. He is just retired, divorced and traveling alone. It seemed to me if we had asked him, he would have gone to dinner with us. Who knows, maybe we will see him tomorrow at Macau.
The Hollywood hotel is just like the other places
we have stayed, totally beautiful, but this theme is retro 40s with the movie emphasis throughout (Only 6 months old, sparkling, awesome). The pool is so neat shaped like a piano with the entry edge of the pool painted as the keyboard. The view from our window is unbelievable; lots of lights around the hotel plus the lights from Disneyland. Charles has really taken us "first class" all the way here.


This picture to the right is the entrance to the hotel.







The picture on the left is on the way to the pool area.




The picture on the right has a metal pole across the entrance to the pool area. It is hard to see it, but there is water streaming from the pole. It falls into a cascading area that you walk through to get to the pool. This is a very nice way to get people to shower before they enter the pool.

We have laughed until we have cried, shared
more information than we care to admit (TMI), and done so many things that I can't include. But when it comes right down to it, we have had fun! (Julie thinks she should be able to refute any aspersions cast upon her good name; maybe later)

Disneyland Revisited or the Sequel

(We haven't actually revisited. These are just additional pictures.)
See! I WAS there too. This was taken by a very friendly native visitor. We took pics for them and they returned the favor. As you can see,

it is a little "damp" as it was off and on most of the day. The pic below is of the engine of the train.

To the left, is the gazebo that is in town square here. This is different than Orlando, but it is kind of a nice change.




This is one of my favorite pictures. I have never had chipmunk kisses before today. (I am thinking that these are great and I'd like to have more.) They came out onto stage just as we were walking by.



This is "Snow White's Castle" in Hong Kong. We all know who the "REAL" princess is, don't we?
Below is another view.





Julie and Belle

Nothing do Julie but we had to stand in line to have her picture taken with Belle. You can see the Castle in the background.

There were really no lines or waiting anywhere at the park. We had a great day despite the rain. We are now staying "on property" at the Hollywood Hotel. Stay tuned for pics of this new placement.

Wondering

As I sit here, watching the sun trying to come up through the smog, I miss Florida. We rarely have bad days there. Except for a few brief moments here, I haven't seen the actual sun for days. I don't think I could live here for any extended period of time. The people have been extremely nice to us, and for the most part, the weather hasn't been that bad. But, the smog is depressing to me. This is their "Spring time". Wow!! I haven't heard one bird chirping or flower dancing. Their vegetation is very lush and beautiful due to Hong Kong being a "sub-tropical" region. I guess the Lord is just once more telling me how blessed I am. The life I have now, I would not have chosen. (I had plans! I had things to do! ) I am headed in a different direction now; and I have to admit - I'm having a great time and doing things I never could have dreamed. ISN'T GOD GOOD!!!

Mr Livingston I presume

After a quick croissant and drink for breakfast, we booked the "Introduction Tour" of Hong Kong from the conciere @ the Marriott. It was totally awesome.
Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and talked almost non-stop while we were on the 4-hour tour.
This is a pic of "The Peak" which was "smogged" in when we were up there. It was approx 20 degrees cooler and we were glad we had brought jackets. We're told that we need to go later in the day, as the smog lifts somewhat and the view is much better.
As we wound our way around the mtns going up and down to The Peak, our guide, Lin, told us of the living arrangements around where we were. The saying is "The higher up the mtn you live, the richer you are". Most of the 7 million people in Hong Kong live in apts. We passed a few lovely one-family homes; one was even Jackie Chan's.
But Lin told us of one of richest men in Hong Kong who had built a 4-story house, with a wife on each floor. Lin indicated he must have been very busy. The law was changed in 1971 to only one wife per man. She said there was a real rush to marry mutiple wives before it went into effect.

Our next stop was "Aberdeen Fishing Village" where we got to take a "San Pan" trip around the China Sea harbor. We voted that as the best place of the whole tour. This is one of the views from the san pan, which means "water taxi" in Cantonese. Our driver took us "up close and personal" with some of the fishingg boats.


It is almost impossible to describe their living space, or maybe lack of it. Here are two examples. I can't imagine actually living here, but they do and it is their home and business. Most of them are fishermen and fish every day of the year, just to exist.


They also have the largest floating restaurant in the world. It's called Jumbos. It's claim to fame is that it was used in a James Bond movie. I believe it was blown up in the film. The only way you can get there is by boat. It is in the middle of the Sea of China Harbor. And, of course, you must have reservations. We might have to miss this one.














The pic to the right includes two dogs being walked. We were told this was very unusual in Hong Kong. It's too crowded for people, much less pets. This is still the China Sea tour with Hong Kong in the background. The smog has cleared a little on the water, and the buildings can be seen.

We only gazed at the next location, or Repulse Bay Lookout. We decided NOT to stop because of the smog. This area is "billed" as the southern capital of HK Island. It is the "escape" area from the metropolis; a little more space.

Our last stop was the Stanley Market (hence the reference to Livingston in the title of this offering). This is an open-air market that offers "traditional handicrafts and locally made clothes at bargain prices." It is very small by our standards but a lot of beautiful things in a small area. We were only allowed 20 minutes there, so we just looked around and scouted out some things. Charles wants to go, so it will be great to have him along tomorrow. He will finish his work around 12:00. I didn't take any pics there, but will tomorrow.

We had a wonderful dinner with Charles and his colleagues from HK Disney. Great group. We ate at a "quaint" little restaurant in SoHo proper. When people start smoking around us, it comes back very quickly that "we're not in Kansas any more ToTo." According to Lin, our tour guide, the noisier the restaurant the better the food. Well, this food was awesome.

Monday is Julie's birthday. I won't give away how old, but she is approaching the "AARP" area. If you read this and have a chance, send her an e-card or e-wish.

I am finally back @ the Marriott. It's after 11:00 pm here and I am once again faced with being over tired. We move to Hollywood Hotel "on property" tomorrow. That is exciting too.

This trip has been so wonderful I can never formulate the words to thank both my sons for this gift. They are tremendous! Thanks guys.

Stay tuned for our next chapter of the trip.