by | May 4, 2011 | Travels |
Everglades Holiday Park
When I was on vacation my hubby and I saw this gentlemen and we still say wow this is something. At the Everglades Holiday Park this gentlemen talked about how he rescues alligators, they cannot go back into the wild if they are over four feet long. Their instinct is to go back where they came from when they were captured so that may be someone’s home.
He is very courageous to rescue alligators for a living and to stick his head in their mouth as well.
This is Wordless Wednesday which is now called Wordless Weekly.
by | May 3, 2011 | Travels |
I had such a wonderful time on the cruise that I had to share the next stop, St. Thomas.
JTwisdom and hubby
We arrived at St. Thomas on Tuesday morning after spending Monday at sea. Instead of exploring St. Thomas, my hubby and I planned a different adventure. We rode on a ferry boat to the island of Tortola to play with the dolphins. St. Thomas is a part of the US Virgin Islands, while Tortola is a part of the British Virgin Islands. We traveled on the boat for about an hour and a half before we reaching our destination. Since Tortola is a British territory, we had to present our passport and Declarations paperwork at the Customs and Immigration Office before entering the country. After being cleared by the office, we boarded a van and headed to the beach where the dolphins live.
After getting our instructions for the trainers, we had an opportunity to get in the water with Ezmeralda, our dolphin. Ezmeralda and the other dolphins are such sweet animals, very playful and happy. It was so relaxing being in the water with them. They are so intelligent and carefree.We gave Ezmeralda a kiss and she returned the gesture. We could also dance with the her. It was truly a remarkable and unforgettable experience for us. I always remember seeing the dolphins on TV, but never imagined being that close to one.
JT and Ezmeralda
After leaving the dolphins, we spent some time at the beach and taking in the beautiful sites: the palm trees, the exotic birds and clear-blue ocean water. I was enjoying every moment of it. When boarded the van and returned back to the Customs and Immigration Office where we had to once again had to show Declaration paperwork and go through a security check point, just to leave the country. We stepped on the the ferry boat and headed back to St. Thomas. It is such a beautiful day and we saw some lovely views.
Views of houses from the Ferry in St. Thomas
Once arriving back in St. Thomas, we disembarked the boat and had to go back through the Customs and Immigration Office. Since we were now going back into the United States, we had to show our passport and submit yet another Declaration paperwork to get clearance to enter into the country. Each time, in Tortola and now back in St. Thomas, we spent about 30 minutes in line, waiting for everyone to their clearance. After getting the okay, we got back on the boat and rode back to the port where our ship was docked.
While waiting in line to get on the ship, we saw a couple iguanas coming out of the ocean and walking along the edges of the sidewalk. I sensed they were used to people because they never came too close to us. This iguana doesn’t look all that friendly but looks can be deceiving.
We returned to our room exhausted from a full day on the ferry boat and with the dolphins. It was time to get a little rest before dinner, the night’s show and to prepare for tomorrow’s adventure – St. Maarten / St. Martin.
by | Apr 29, 2011 | Fashion |
Fitness and Fashion
This week we are focusing on one of my passions, Fitness! I love to work out and I love the results.
1. Do you keep some kind of fitness routine? Why?
No, I do not keep a work out routine of what I do because keeping different parts of my body active on different days keeps every part toned. I like to have fun and enjoy my workouts so I do a combination of things. I love spicing up my workouts. I exercise four to five times a week and for longer periods of time on the weekends. I recently purchased a Zumba workout package from QVC. It is so much fun. I am also exercising with Stephanie Huckabee, Bollywood, Power90, Kettlenetics and Brazilian Body. I also have the Pilates, Wii, Yoga, HipHop Abs, Belly Dancing, Latin Dancing and the Firm in my fitness library. So I am never bored with my routines. But the hardest thing is deciding what to do for that day. Decisions! Decisions!
2. Has working out, maybe training for a marathon or something of that
nature, helped with your own perception of body image?
Working out makes me feel so good after I am finished. Feeling good about my body had to come from within. When I lost the extra pounds that I wanted to loose, I still felt I had to loose more. The person I saw in the mirror was not the person who lost the weight, but the overweight person from before. Mental change had to take place and that is where the positive affirmations about myself came in. I saw God didn’t make junk, and that I am special. I may have worked all day and feel totally wiped out; but when I put in the DVD, I am energized and ready to go.
3. When you are hitting the gym or just going out for a long walk what
do you wear? Is it about functionality or fashion?
When I am working out, I wear my workout tops and shorts with fabric that is breathable. This breathable fabric is such an asset because if I am sweating a lot during the workout, it removes the sweat from my body. It’s so great when I work out hard.
I love to hike with my husband and I usually wear jeans, T-shirt and tennis shoes. I don’t wear shorts because I don’t know what I may brush up against or if there are biting bugs out. I can’t forget my trusty walking stick.
4. Do you feel there is a cultural perception of what you ‘should’ be
doing for your own physical fitness?
There are so many different exercise regimes that I have to know what works best for me. I have bought a lot my workout videos and equipment from QVC. I like QVC because it has a great return policy. If I didn’t like a workout routine or piece of equipment, I could send it back knowing that I would get my money back – No matter if I used the product or not.
5. Dream big… what would be your ultimate fitness goal.
I want to maintain my current fitness level and muscle tone. I would love to climb more mountains.
J&T in Santa Fe, New Mexico
I have worked hard to loose the extra weight, and thank the Lord, I have checked that off my list. I don’t want to go back to the old me.
Due to some medication I was taking for something medical, I gained weight. In this picture I was about 205 at the peak of the weight gain. Talking about feeling defeated when this weight gain was not due to overeating. Well I got off of the medication and took a hard look at myself and realized I didn’t want to continue to look like this. I talked with my hubby who loves me no matter what I looked like and with his support, I began my weight loss journey. My main exercise was Walk Away The Pounds with Leslie Sansone and THE FIRM and watching what I ate. So within two years I lost about 55-60 pounds. God is good because I couldn’t of lost the weight without Him and my hubby. I have kept off the weight going on 5 plus years now. Hallelujah!!!
To see how other bloggers feel about fitness and fashion please check out Katy Rose at Modlychic.
by | Apr 27, 2011 | Fashion |
Spring 2011 temperatures in Missouri have been very irregular. One day it maybe 70 degrees and the next day is 48 degrees. With these varying temps, one must be prepared. Make sure when you are putting your winter clothes away that you keep a few pieces out because you may have to put on a sweater or wear a coat.
This pink sweater came in handy on a day that was chilly, but not cold enough to wear a coat. If you know me by now, I really love pink or variations of that color. It brightens every complexion and brings a smile to my face.
Layering is a key word because if I got a little warm during the day I could take the sweater off and maybe put it around my neck for a preppy look.
I bought my headwrap in St. Maarten from a lovely French vendor. It actually has thin wire in it so it’s shapeable and machine washable. There were so many great designs to choose from, I could decide; so I had to get two.
The necklace was a gift and it is so versatile and a good go-to necklace to spice up an outfit.
I love my 5 inch mules. I am an amazingly 6 ft tall in them; and they are so comfortable.
My raspberry handbag is a cool find from my recent cruise. I am really enjoying pairing it with so many different outfits. It is an early birthday present from my hubby. This bag is patent leather so all I have to do is wipe with a slightly damp rag to keep clean.
The key with dressing for Spring is to dress in vibrant colors and to layer key pieces. When I dress in layers, my outfit does not look like a winter outfit because of the use of vibrant color.
by | Apr 25, 2011 | From the Heart, Inspirations |
This Easter weekend was quite eventful. Friday night as my husband and I prepared to have dinner, the tornado warning sirens sounded. The warning said that everyone should seek shelter immediately. We do not have a basement so my hubby, myself and my two doggies went to our utility room which is the safest room in the house. The utility room has no windows and does not have any outside walls. For the next hour, we waited and prayed for the storm to stop. We prayed and God tells us to put him in remembrance of his word so we commanded the winds and rain to cease and cause no damage In Jesus Name. We prayed and released our guardian angels to protect us and everyone from any harm. We thought the storm was over because the winds and rains had diminished. But the sirens sounded a second time, and within a few minutes later, a third time, declaring more tornado warnings for our area. We continued praying and interceding for everyone’s safety. Twenty minutes had passed when we heard the strong winds blowing with the rain and hail. This was the time the tornado touched down in several locations in Saint Louis County, including the airport.
Lambert International Airport in St. Louis, only a few miles from our house, suffered significant damage when the EF-3 tornado hit the terminal with sustained winds up to 165mph. This airport security video captured the tornado as it rustled through the terminal. This video shows how forcefully the wind hit the airport terminal.
%CODE1%
The media report 2,700 homes and buildings throughout the Saint Louis area received significant damage. The National Weather Service has declared this to be the worst tornado to come through Saint Louis since 1967. In spite of the destruction, no lives were lost. Some people may call it being lucky, but I call it divine intervention. St. Louis Post Dispatch has pictures of the extent of the damage of the horrific tornado.
On our way to church this Sunday I took a couple of pictures on my phone of the Bellfontaine Neighbors area which was one of the areas that the tornado went through. It was so strange to drive down the street and we could see no damage at all. Then suddenly, we saw trees ripped apart, power lines down and roofs damaged. The whole path of the damage was only about three blocks wide. We have a friend who lives in the area who lost power during the storm. She did not get the power back on until early Sunday morning. There are still some homes without power so I pray they get there power on soon.
Bellfontaine Neighbors area
Bellfontaine Neighbors area
This was a horrible storm and tornado which we will soon not forget. Our home was not affected by the storm. Thank God no lives were lost. Please continue to pray for the people whose homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed.
Follow!