Christmas In Prague Continued

Christmas in Prague was beautiful and an experience that will never be forgotten. I posted a few pictures in the previous post; however, I did not have the time to stop and write. Now that I have been granted a few moments of peace, I thought I would indulge everyone with details of our Christmas. First of all, we had a small fête here at home then began our adventure in Prague. We arranged airport transfers by the hotel instead of taking a taxi. They arrived on time as promised, in their Mercedes town car. They even had a car seat for Lana. We arrived at Hotel Savoy to be greeted by the bellman outside to take our luggage to our room. Everyone was so kind and treated us like ROYALTY! We checked into the hotel and went on our way to the suite. To our surprise the hotel had decorated our suite with brand new toys, robes, and many treats for the kids and us! The hotel and room itself was beautiful, it had an unbelievable Turkish bath that was all marble, separate bath and huge walk-in shower! They even stocked the bath with new toys and bath seat for Lana. She also had her own personalized towels and bath accessories.. She was treated like the little princess she is!! The mini bar in the room was stocked daily and room service was exquisite!! The attention to detail in the hotel was magnificent! The hotel concierges’ were very kind and willingly arranged any event or plans that we needed.

As most of you know, Europe has an amazing public transportation system and in Prague the hotel we selected had the tram stop directly across the street so it was a major plus to be able to hop on the tram anytime to get around Prague.

We spent many days just taking in the sites and the breathtaking beauty of Prague from the magical castles, cathedrals, bridges, towers, and churches. It had wonderful cobbled stone roads, and beautiful courtyards. The entertainment, cuisine, and displayed art were unbelievable. Now I understand why this mystic medieval city is regarded as one of Europe’s most charming places to visit! And of course, the shopping was wonderful! The cuisine at every restaurant, café, and bar we ate in was superb!! We all felt that the cuisine tasted the best of all the places we have visited here in Europe. Jayce and I always buy chocolate wherever we visit so we brought some back home with us-I can’t wait to splurge and taste it!

The Charles Bridge

Old Town Bridge Tower is one of the most beautiful gothic tower's in Europe. It is situated on the first pillar of the Charles Bridge.

Jayce inside the top of the TOWER!

Although we did not have the traditional Christmas at home, and we missed our families dearly-we thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity of being in Prague. I know Lana will not remember the experience; however, Jayce will and he mentioned that it will be a moment that he will treasure forever. He also asked me when and where we will be going on our next trip…. I told him that I have a few ideas I’m still bouncing around in my mind. I’m looking forward to planning our next journey!

After we said our good-bye’s to Prague, we returned home to many packages!! YIPPEE more presents!!! We decided that we will have our traditional turkey dinner on New Year’s and unwrap the other presents we received. Life is good.

Christmas In Prague

Prague. Beautiful.

Birthday Wishes

Today is my Aunt Louella birthday. We just wanted to extend warm birthday wishes to her!!

Birthday Blessings
Instead of counting candles, Or tallying the years, Contemplate your blessings, As your birthday nears.
Consider special people Who love you, and who care, And others who’ve enriched your life Just by being there.
Think about the memories Passing years can never mar, Experiences great and small That have made you who you are.
Another year is a happy gift, So cut your cake, and say,"Instead of counting birthdays, I count blessings every day!"
By Joanna Fuchs

Leaving For Prague

I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!! I’m signing off for about a week until we return from Prague. I hope everyone has a festive and safe holiday! Be sure to check back to see our pictures… Until then, I’ll leave you with this photo of Jayce. This picture was taken when we attended a holiday party in the penthouse at Harbor Tower’s that was hosted by the staff when we lived there. It was a great party, along with an amazing view of the Elizabeth River overlooking waterside in Norfolk, Virginia.

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air. ~W.T. Ellis

Birthday Wishes

The connection and depth of love between mothers and daughters is obvious. I have had countless conversations with my girlfriends about mothers. These conversations normally consist of our feelings towards our own mothers and the ideals we share about raising our own daughters. These conversations are usually quite long and invigorating.

Today is my mom’s birthday. She reads this blog daily so I thought I would provide her with a tribute. Today is her day.

So, in the spirit of blogging, here is a list of a few random things I love about my mom…

1. I love my mom’s unbridled enthusiasm for everything! She loves new experiences and embraces life to the fullest. She loves to go out to a great restaurant, movies, or any kind of adventure with us. And afterwards, she recounts every taste, detail, or texture for you so it becomes an unforgettable moment.

2. I love the fact that my mom is close to our children and us. She hangs out with Jayce playing games, eating late night snacks, and being around him as much as she can. She always makes sure she visits with us on a regular basis no matter what circumstance we have encountered with the military way of life. She has come to visit us at every duty station multiple times.

3. I love the fact that my mom chose to raise me by herself, although at times it was very difficult. My father was not active in my life, but my mom made up for it in countless ways. It showed me how to be independent and believe in myself.

4. I love the fact that my mom is very creative. She would always plan fun little activities for me as a child, like making homemade Christmas ornaments. More importantly, she engages my son in the same activities every time she visits.

5. I love my mom’s spontaneous character. Although growing up she encouraged me to plan and be prepared, at times she also would tell me to pack a bag last minute because we were going on an adventure. These were normally in the form of “ROAD TRIPS” and we always had a good time!

6. I love my mom’s spirit and her kind heart. She opens her heart to everyone.

7. I love the fact that when I was growing up, I would walk in my room and find a great new outfit laying on my bed that my mom had bought me for no apparent reason, or the amazing care packages we receive “just because”.

8. I love the fact that I can tell my mom exactly how I feel at any given moment or situation and she listens. I know sometimes I can drive her bonkers, but she loves me anyway.

9. I love the fact that my mom knows that I am very particular about things and although she does not always agree, she embraces my principles anyway.

10. I love my mom because she is MY MOM and the GRANDMOTHER to my children.

Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you! May your day be filled with many blessings!

Here are a few random photos to go along with the random post.

9 months old
9 years old

My Mom and my Aunt Lou (They are both so beautiful)

Jayce and Grandma in N.C.

Dreaming Of A White Christmas

This time of year we’re always hoping for a white Christmas. Unfortunately, we are not going to get that here on the island. As a matter of fact, Jayce has only been around snow a handful of times. The positive aspect of being here is that we are close to Mt. Etna and the boys like to go snowboarding. Last year was the first year that either one of them have been snowboarding. It was some good times for them, they actually did pretty well! (There were no broken bones involved) This year we’ll probably hit the slopes skiing. I’ve only been skiing once in Colorado, but I’m looking forward to spending a weekend on the mountain playing in the snow, drinking hot cocoa, and shopping in the quaint little towns.

These pictures were taken while we lived in Virginia. It does not snow there much and hardly ever sticks, so this was a unique experience for us as it was Jayce’s first time to witness a snowfall. At that time we were living at Harbor Tower's and Will was attending classes at the Naval School of Health Sciences for Nuclear Medicine. Jayce was about 6 or 7 years old. We had such a fun time having snowball fights and making snow angels.

This year I’m especially excited because we will be spending the holiday in Prague. I heard it’s beautiful this time of year so I’m looking forward to the experience. Since this is Lana’s first Christmas it will be extra special for us to have the opportunity to spend it in Prague. Just a few more days before we leave! YIPPEE!!!

Christmas Joy!

Hi Everyone! I just wanted to make a quick post. My mom’s birthday is approaching soon right along with Christmas so I thought I would post this photo of her. She looks so happy and joyful in this photo. It was taken in Florida.

Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas.-Peg Bracken

One Of Jayce's Many Talents

Jayce is an all-around kid. He’s active in all sports, enjoys music, reading, writing, he does exceptionally well in school, and has many talents, such as solving the Rubik’s cube and movie editing. Some of you had the pleasure of seeing his Italy Adventures movie before we left the states. Well, I thought I would let you see a glimpse of some his natural talents… ENJOY THE SHOW!!



By the way, Jayce learned to solve the Rubik’s cube last summer and on their way to Paris he noticed a women playing with a Rubik’s cube at the airport. He approached her and offers to solve it. She handed over the cube and Jayce solved it and handed it back to her.. She looked at him with amazement!

On the second half of the video was Jayce’s first time to experiment with stop motion, as he advances his skill we’ll be sure to post more fun stuff!

Oh! With all the commotion with Jayce’s injury I have not had a chance to let everyone know that he was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. Though the night of the ceremony I forgot my camera so I went to the exchange and had to buy a disposable. I was the only dorky mother winding up her camera!! LOL. I have not had a chance to go and pick up the photos’, but I’m hoping to get them sometime next week and get them posted on here. I know the quality will be less than perfect, but I’m optimistic that a few will turn out good enough to post.

Maybe one day Lana will learn to solve the rubik's cube like her bro!

Birthday Wishes

Today is Bill’s (BJ’s Dad) birthday. We just wanted to extend birthday wishes to him. May his day be filled with lots of love and much joy!! The picture below is of him blowing out his candles in 2005 at Troy’s house. It was actually one of the few birthdays’ I have had the opportunity to spend with him. All of us went to dinner earlier in the evening and then surprised him with a cake later on!! We had a really good time. We also spent Christmas that year with the family there in Oklahoma and Texas.

My First Christmas

A few days ago I was on the phone with my mom and I was telling her that I came across this picture of me and it felt like I was looking at a mirror reflection of Lana. YAY, Lana is a “mini me”!! I also have a few of my mom to post as well in the near future. It’s amazing how much we all resemble each other. I thought this would be a cute picture to add since Christmas is approaching soon. This photo was my first Christmas and it was taken at my grandmother’s house. I loved the little ceramic frog in the background and would kiss it frequently; my family would sing a song about frog kissin’ to me all the time because of it. Maybe it was the power of the mistletoe that made everyone and everything kissable during the holiday season!! Have you been kissed under the mistletoe this holiday season?

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other."-- Burton Hillis

Tree Trimmings

Whew… I finally have a moment to stop and write. Jayce is doing better, but now everyone has caught a cold. It has not been fun in our household this last week, to say the least. We are looking forward to our upcoming trip for the holiday!!! My semester has finally come to a close so the break away from Sicily will be nice. With the holiday approaching I had to share this picture of Jayce. He was about 2 years old or so. He looks so cute decorating the tree! I have a few more pictures I would like to post as well, but I will have to wait for the weekend. I hope everyone has a FUN FRIDAY!!

May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through! ~Author Unknown

Update on Jayce

I just wanted to give a quick update on Jayce. He’s still home on bed rest until next week sometime. He’s been going to the eye doctor daily and has been given some additional drops because the pressure in his eye was increasing. On a positive note, today during his visit the blood clot has decreased and there are not quite as many white/red blood cells around. We should be able to go ahead with our holiday plans. I also wanted to say thank you to everyone for all the kind emails, phone calls, and wishes for a quick recovery.

Please Say A Prayer

Please say an extra prayer for Jayce. He injured his eye at football practice and it’s bleeding inside. Right now he is on bed rest until further notice. The ophthalmologist has been treating him with great care. He called just a few minutes ago to check up on him. We will be meeting with the ophthalmologist daily so he can monitor him and make sure it does not get worse. He prescribed Jayce a couple of eye drops to bring down the swelling inside. I may not be on here much, but I’ll try to give everyone updates. I just ask that each of you keep him in your prayers….

Moment Of Appreciation

I hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving yesterday. We had a nice day. Gratitude is a way of life for us that we honor daily. It’s more than just being thankful; it’s about being in the present moment and living an abundant life. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up thinking about past mistakes made by yourself or others, measuring up to someone else’s standards, or trying to do everything perfectly, but when you validate and honor your own life, you realize the choices you made, the changes you have been through, and the gifts you have in the present moment and all those other things really don’t matter.

I feel that the truest form of wisdom is in the heart of the riches and growth of the blessings in your own life. By recognizing and following your heart it allows you to hone in the beauty around and know what makes your heart sing! This is true HAPPINESS!! I don’t live life according to the standards of others. I believe that all things are possible for everyone and you can have all your heart desires, and achieve all the success you want as long as you are true to yourself, and appreciate where you have been and where you are now.

Most importantly, when you’re confident in yourself and your own life-that joy reflects in the lives of others because there is no need to compare yourself to others. Everyone has victories both big and small and it’s wonderful to recognize those accomplishments and show gratitude.

Shhhh.. It's A Secret

I’m going to let you in on an inside joke with us. But, first I have some questions. These may be odd questions, but I have to ask…

Do you know how to whistle?

Can you whistle a tune?

Well, for me, I can only whistle a very basic tune. Your probably thinking, who cares..

What’s the big deal?

Well, to give you a bit of history and perspective on why a whistle can have so much significance (and hopefully a good laugh) you have to understand my husband’s side of the family (this is for those of you who do not know).

My husband is the oldest of his siblings. He grew up in the same household with his brother, but also has 2 step-brothers and a sister. When they all go shopping together (total of 7 people-siblings and parents) they have this “thing” they do when they get separated so they can locate each other and go on about their shopping or whatever. This “thing” is a whistle.

The first time I went to the store with them as a group, it was quite embarrassing to be around all them whistling when someone wandered off, but interesting enough, it worked! Over time, I, of course, accepted this and my husband willing taught our son the whistle.

Now to really understand you need to hear the sound.. So click on the link below (its safe), then click download, then open to hear it. You may want to listen to it a couple of time! LOL.

(click me to hear the whistle)

That was Jayce by the way… OK back to my story.

The whistle sounds easy enough, huh? And, if you practice you could probably get it.

Well, for me it’s not that easy. I can never get it. My husband and I have been together for nearly 16 years and I can’t do it. I’m always the odd one out!! Before we get ready to visit his family, we practice and practice, it turns into this joke and of course the boys make fun of me.

So one day I proposed that we come up with a new whistle, which did not work out so well considering I cannot whistle that much anyway. BJ and Jayce continued to tease me, so I suggested again that we have a new sound; it goes something like this.

(click me to hear the new sound)

Jayce starts laughing hysterically at me and said, “Yeah, right mom. We’re not a family of seagulls!”

This has been an ongoing inside joke with us and always brings a smile when I hear them do their “thing” in the store. Occasionally Jayce will do the other “seagull” sound to be silly. And it really does sound comical hearing it echo down the aisle in a store! LOL!!!

Ok. I admit it. We’re a little goofy.

Hot Fix For A Cold Day

It’s been cold the past couple of days so yesterday I decided to cook a spicy Louisiana southern meal for dinner. Gumbo. It was the first time I had ever made it and it turned out perfect. I love spicy foods and it was just the thing needed on a bitter day. Afterwards, Jayce and Lana fell asleep and I couldn’t help taking their picture. They always look so cute and cozy together! I just love my kiddo’s!

Pics Of Lana

I just wanted to make a quick post and share some photos of Lana.

Jayce & Grandma's Spyro Fun!

Wow, I can’t believe it is almost Thanksgiving.. Where has the time gone? I’ve been thinking a great deal about family. It just hit me this morning that this year will be the first year that I will not spend either Thanksgiving or Christmas with my mom. Even all the years that we have been living away from our family members, my mom has always been with us to celebrate Christmas or Thanksgiving. Boy ol’ boy, Jayce is really going to miss his grandma’s pumpkin pie and their annual event of “Spyro”, which consist of staying up all night and day for the duration of his grandma’s visit and playing SPYRO on PS2. Jayce always says he has the greatest grandma in the world because he has not met too many grandmas that like to play Spyro for all eternity—which is no joke because this has been going on for the last 10 years. What is really funny is Spryo just released or will release their 10th anniversary game this year. LOL!! Below is a picture of Jayce and one of his grandma's (my mom) playing Spryro. We lived in North Carolina at the time.

The picture below is of Jayce acting like one of the characters in the game. He's shaking his bootie because on the game they would call this particular section bootie-land due to when Spyro would flame the bad guys, they would shake their booties and run. Jayce and my mom would crack up and then Jayce would pretend he was shaking his bootie like in the picture below.

We always hold a special place in our hearts for family. The most difficult aspect of living a “military life” is not always having the opportunity to be close to family. Even though we don’t always get to spend the holidays with family, we make the most of the day all the same with just us. We eat tons of food, play games or throw around the football, relax, have many laughs, eat more food, and take a power nap to give us some energy of putting up the Christmas tree, which has always been a tradition to decorate it on Thanksgiving. *hint*hint, to Will.. He needs to get the decorations totes accessible for us because Thanksgiving Day is approaching soon.

As a child, my family would all gather at my grandmother’s house and there would always be so many people coming and going. Besides all the great food and company, my family would go outside and play football. I know there are many video’s of us, which I would love to watch again someday. I can remember being the player that hiked the ball, and a few times I scored a touchdown. Sometimes it would be really cold or snowing, and other times we would be wearing shorts-that’s crazy Oklahoma weather for ya! All in all, it was some good-times!! Speaking of football and Oklahoma, I’ll end this post with this picture of my Uncle Dave and my mom. This picture was taken at my grandma’s house many years ago (1988).

My Little G.I. Jane

As promised, here is the video of Lana showing off her infamous army crawl… I took a video of her about a week ago; she is now going up on her knees and rocking back and forth. But, that video was a bit shaky and I could never get it to upload. Therefore, I took another short video of her so here it is.. I hope it brings you many smiles.

Where Has The Time Gone?

Time passes by so quickly, all of a sudden, my little boy is turning into a man. It’s so hard to imagine that sometime in the near future Jayce will be in high school and then off to college. As a child, Jayce was always a pleasure to be near, and to this day he still warms my heart with his thoughtfulness, gratitude, and happiness. I have high expectations for his future that I think he will live up to without question. Even though I see him growing daily as a person in so many ways; spiritually, physically, emotionally, and becoming wiser each moment, I cannot believe that adulthood is approaching so quickly.

It was not too long ago when this picture was taken. Jayce was so much fun!! And, throughout all these years has given us so many reasons to smile. I keep this picture in our bathroom because it was a father-son moment of Jayce pretending to shave, but now this picture has much more significance because Jayce is shaving himself!!

Can you believe it? Jayce has started getting facial hair and we decided it was time for him to begin shaving. So his dad helped him get started…

Of course his dad is giving him all the fatherly advice and pointers of shaving so he does not nick his skin.

Jayce has now mastered shaving his face, and is giving me a look of- Oh. My. Gosh. Because he knows that his mom is going to post this on her blog!! ~LOL

Almost finished....

What a HANDSOME YOUNG MAN my boy is becoming!!! I love you Jayce.