Getting all Prettied Up for the Big Day!

Getting all pretty for the "Big Day"! Isn't he going to look lovely? Rick is checking in with Grant to see if he is excited about Santa coming tonight. Excitement in the air.

All Accounted For...and Blessings too!

They're Hoooooome!!!
Wrapping christmas presents and cleaning up after themselves! Yes! I taught them well! Thank God for bringing them home safely! I love you both!! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Ok...so now we can see you're having fun! Enjoy it all and then God speed you home safely. Mind the Gap!! I love you both!

Guess who's been here? Is it really an Angel?


The Glow of Christmas Warms the Heart...and the Home

9 MORE DAYS!!

I miss you! I can hardly wait!

Only 16 days until my "Megan" comes home to visit me! It will be the best Christmas EVER!! I can hardly wait! Merry Christmas everyone!
Love...Lilly

Have Fun Megan! Godspeed!

Ok...so I'm traveling home from work late last night and I get this call from Megan (pictured above). Apparently, she had a near death experience and I'm freaking out about it on the way home while talking to her! So...I tell her I will hang up and have her father call her. Here are the details of what happened:
Megan gets ready to go out with friends. Megan walks down the flight of stairs to her flat. Megan trips on a stair, lands hard on her bottom, flies off the stair and SCREAMS! Megan hits her head "HARD" on the floor (hears a loud crack and realizes it's probably just the barrettes in her hair hitting the floor and not her head cracking open)!! A young man traveling up a few flights hears the event and runs down to see if he can assist her. Thank God she wasn't alone. Megan can barely move but after several minutes, sits up and realizes she is battered but still in one piece! So Megan goes out with friends and later that night, upon her trip back to her flat, realizes that maybe she isn't ok. She believes she has cracked her tailbone! This leads us back to the phone conversation between Mother and Daughter. "Mom, I am in sooooo much pain!" Mom replies,"Do you think you have a concussion?" Megan, "I don't know! My bottom hurts so bad I can't think about anything else!"
As Mom freaks out (silently) she says Dad will call her back. Dad calls, asks the usual questions and dispels fears of concussion. We suggest taking Advil and sitting on some ice. Have someone keep an eye on you and Call us every few hours and let us know you're ok (Gut wrenching fear is knotting my stomach)! Then try and get 3 hours of sleep before you have to leave (by yourself) for Ireland. Megan calls several hours later to say she's doing better and will try to get a little sleep before she leaves for the airport. I received a text message early this morning (1:30am) saying that she was at the airport and was doing fine. RELIEF!! I fall back to sleep. Since then she has called me to say that she has reached the hostel and all is well! God Bless You Megan!! I KNOW your Guardian Angel was watching over you last night! Did he have that mischievious "Glint" in his eye? (You know who I mean...the one who visited you 2 nights ago in your dream). He truly IS WATCHING over you!! How comforting! I LOVE YOU!!

YOU DID IT!!!

After Many loooooong months of studying...You finally DID IT!!
CONGRATULATIONS RICK!!

It's official! You're a Home Owner!! Wow!

CONGRATULATIONS JAMEY!!

Wow! A homeowner!! Hard to believe! Congratulations! We're soooo proud!

Tis the Season...

So far the Holiday shopping season is going well. People are generally still smiling. This will all change however. 1 week before Christmas day, people turn ugly. Smiles are replaced by furrowed brows and frowns with impatience and grumbling becoming the norm. I, however, will continue to smile and bring a ray of hope and a reminder of patience to those I serve. I have sold many crystals to people whose lives are limited here on earth and who buy my products in the hopes of leaving a reminder of their love to their family, doctors, caregivers, & friends before they leave for a better place. I sometimes get tears in my eyes as they tell me their stories (imagine that!). And then I am reminded of how thankful I am to have a healthy and happy circle of family and friends. Thank you all for being there for me. And for those of you who have turned away from yours, please take this to heart. We are limited in our time here and should be thankful for all we have. Take a look at your life and those who are connected to you. Are you fulfilled and happy? I truly hope so. Bless you all and have a joyous and happy Christmas Season!

Megan the Tourist

Megan and Danny in Scotland. Megan standing in Lochness. Watch out for the monster Megan!!

Beautiful Country

I just received an email from my daughter Megan. She has been touring the country of Scotland. I am soooo impressed by the beauty of it all! I can't imagine how overwhelmingly beautiful it would be to see it in person! Megan, I am glad you did not get eaten by the Lochness Monster! I am also thankful that each individual in my family are all safe and sound. Even though we will be separated from each other, (Megan comes home right before Christmas), I will keep you all in my heart and pray for happiness and good health. God Bless you all and Happy Thanksgiving! I love you!

Just A Quick Note

OK....soooo...you haven't heard from me in awhile. I'm soooo busy right now I have no time to chat unless, of course, you visit me in the mall. Business is picking up so it's becoming more difficult to do that as well. But don't let that scare you away from stopping by to say "hi". It may be the only way you hear from me for awhile. I'm having fun, however and will not complain about the business. "It's a Good Thing"! Hee Hee.

A Much Needed Break...

After working nonstop for the past 2 weeks I finally get a much needed reprieve. My two employees are covering the weekend shifts for me! Even though I have the days off I don't really have time for rest. I'm busy catching up on cleaning. I honestly believe Rick has obliterated this activity from his brain as he has not offered to do any of it. I will admit he has been doing his own cooking and he does clean up after himself, so that earns him a few points. However, since cleaning is not the activity I would choose as a priority on my days off, I do realize that it must be done by someone. And if not me...than who? Maybe while I work I should hire a maid. I think that sounds like a good idea. I have more than enough work to do for the business and, quite honestly, it is stressful enough to say the least. I realize it is short-lived so I have fun with it and enjoy the challenge. Today we celebrated my mother-in-laws birthday. Most of the family was there (minus our kids) and it was much fun. Happy Birthday Mary (on the 14th)! I talked to my daughter, Megan, yesterday. She had a wonderful time last weekend in Paris and visited Stonehenge yesterday. She tells me that she met and spoke to a famous actor (who apparently is reeeeeally cute) the other night. I don't have details but suffice it to say that she was hoping he would ask her for a date (hee hee). It's all sooo amazing over there! She is soooo lucky to have this great opportunity! I'm glad she's having a great experience but I will miss her over the Thanksgiving Holiday. I'm just hoping that one of my children will be able to spend time with us. Ahem....and you know who I mean! Well...no more random thoughts. It's late and I'm exhausted. I'll bid you all adieu and wish you well. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Crystal Notion is now officially open for business in Apache Mall. This will be my new home for the holiday season. Stop by to visit!

Rick, Crossing Abby Road, Barefoot. He thinks he's John Lennon!

 
 

Wherefore Art Thou London?

We had a sensational time in London! Only tapped the surface of all there is to see and do! I have posted many pictures below for your enjoyment. Of course, we have at least 200 more but that would take too long so you'll just have to enjoy what is posted. At least until I make a CD and get them all developed for others enjoyment. It was sooooo good to see Megan and visit her temporary home and family (the other students she is with). I miss her and the wonderful city already! Cheers London!

Rick outside one of the homes of John Lennon. It was also home to Paul McCartney (John was nice enough to rent it to him for a few weeks) and Jimmy Hendricks! 

I couldn't resist having Rick take a quick snap of me in a very typical London Phone Booth. We were on the Beatles Walking Tour! 

Just one of the many wonderful chimneys in London. Very Mary Poppins style don't ya think? 

The slew of parents and a handful of the students who attended and performed the play "Our Town". We went out to dinner. attended the play, and then to a local Pub for a celebration of the final show! 

The Wimbledon Theatre where the crew from St. Mary's performed their play "Our Town"! It was a smashing success! 

Megan cooking her favorite thing to eat...a grilled cheese sandwich! 

Megan's Room she shared with 2 other girls. It was nice and plenty of room for all of them. Rick is peeking around from an area desk that was a work station for Megan and her computer. 

Megan pointing to her Flat located on the 2nd level of the building. 

Megan outside her London Flat located on Auriol Road. We were about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. 

Our Hotel! The Brook Green Hotel located across from the Brook Green lawn across the street. The Pub in the lower level was amazing and had entertainment (Jazz, Blues, Comedy, etc.) every night of the week. Our room was on the very top (first window to the right of the southern corner). Every night we would hike up the 67 steps (no Lift/Elevator in the Hotel) to our room. We were usually exhausted so it took some doing! Each morning we had a Full English Breakfast - included with the price of the room! The construction on the sidewalk out front was pretty typical everywhere you went in London! 

An outside view of one of the buildings of the London Tower where many Kings and Queens and accused traitors met their doom. They were beheaded. We could have spend hours on this tour but were limited in time because of an evening show. A Must See for all History Buffs, however! 

The legend of Ravens at the London Tower is that Ravens flocked to the tower to eat the remains and refuse from the bitter and gruesome wars (where body parts were a raven delicacy) and daily refuse from the inhabitants of the tower were deposited outside. It was said that if the Ravens were ever prohibited in their visitation to the Tower that it would collapse along with the Kingdom. Today there are 6 resident ravens whose wings are clipped so they will remain on the grounds.  

A view of a wall at the Tower of London. Lower part of wall has been dated to have been built in Roman times! 

Part of the London Tower. 

Our boat cruise from Westminster to the London Tower. All part of our Explorer Day on the Original London Walk Tours. Recommended as a great way to get the real history and behind-the-scenes of London. We also did the famous "Jack the Ripper" tour which was truly amazing. Walking amid buildings and roads where famous (and not so famous) people have walked for centuries!  

The famous London Eye. We didn't ride it. At 12.5 pounds apiece we saw just as much from the top of St. Paul's Cathedral for the price of the tour admission (8 pounds each). Lovely to see along the Thames river however. 

St. Martin In the Fields. A church in Trafalgar Square where they hold over 350 Concerts a year and have an Award Winning Buffet Cafe in the Crypt! We had dinner with the dead in the Crypt (much to Megan's opposition-she secretly loved it however) and a Baroque Concert with a stringed orchestra and the East London Chorus! What a way to top off our visit to London. (We also saw 3 shows...Woman in Black, Scrooge the Musical, and of course, Megan's production of Our Town at the Wimbledon Theatre...Amazing!) 

Picadilly Circus is a MUST SEE! Truly Unbelievable!!