On The Road Again...

As it looks right now, we are planning a trip to Dunedin, FL, leaving on Thursday Feb 23 and returning on March 3. We hope to be at the house a couple of days, then drive down to Naples to visit Badi and Jean. We would like them to come back up with us to Dunedin for a couple of days and then we will come home.

I have to get mentally prepared for this. I have so much to do and I do not want to haul it down there with me. I don't work on it any way. So I am now preparing to leave and getting finished what is necessary. I want to do very little "packing" since we already have every thing we need down there. I may take a little food because whatever I buy there, I just have to haul back. I try to not keep much there in order to limit bugs. So, some fruit and veggies (Nasser just went to the Farmers' Market so I have a lot)...oh, I just remembered...he bought a "ton" of fresh herbs to put into the Torshi (sour relish) he made with eggplant. I have to wash and chop all of that!! Well, there's a project for today...

Grandma's Apron

I received an email this afternoon from a friend that included a version of the following poem. It brought back memories of Grandma Warfel and how she always had an apron on. I also thought about my first Home Econ project in high school - an apron! I actually liked that apron and used it. I wonder whatever became of it? It was turquoise and white checked material...Too bad I don't enjoy sewing like my Mom, sister, and niece do. Well, we are all given certain gifts and talents. Mine just doesn't happen to be sewing, but I am grateful that I can sew if should choose to. I remember it being fun to go shopping with Mom and Melanie to buy a new pattern for a project...the choices were overwhelming!

I think aprons are a great idea and I would love to have one like Grandma used to wear, especially one of hers. Collecting vintage patterns and aprons could be a fun hobby. The below pattern might have been the one we used in Home Ec!

GRANDMA'S APRON

By Tina Trivett, Aug 26, 2007

The Poetry of Tina Trivett, tinatrivett.blogspot.com

The strings were tied, it was freshly washed, and maybe even pressed.

For Grandma, it was everyday to choose one when she dressed.

The simple apron that it was, you would never think about;

the things she used it for, that made it look worn out.

She may have used it to hold some wildflowers that she'd found.

Or to hide a crying child's face when a stranger came around.

Imagine all the little tears that were wiped with just that cloth.

Or it became a potholder to serve some chicken broth.

She probably carried kindling to stoke the kitchen fire.

To hold a load of laundry, or to wipe the clothesline wire.

When canning all her vegetables, it was used to wipe her brow.

You never know, she might have used it to shoo flies from the cow.

She might have carried eggs in from the chicken coop outside.

Whatever chore she used it for, she did them all with pride.

When Grandma went to heaven, God said she now could rest.

I'm sure the apron that she chose, was her Sunday best.

I think Grandma is wearing an apron here. I would be very surprised if she wasn't! Another good use for an apron is to keep baby's spit up off your dress! She is holding Andy on his first outing. He was 2 weeks old so this was taken in Grandma's house on 7th Street in July 1982. For the memories-ah!

The Hobbit! I Can't Wait!!!

Here is the movie trailer...I am so excited! I am reading the book again in anticipation. Part One will be released in Dec 2012 (a whole year!) and Part Two in Dec 2013.

Moonlight in the Pines

The other night I went outside and saw the beautiful moon through the pines...

Here is a beautiful rendition of "Georgia on My Mind" by Michael Buble'. Relax and enjoy...

The Daffodils and Red Bud Trees are in Bloom!

"Daffodils" (1804) I wandr'd lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay

In such a jocund company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

The weather has been so Spring-like that the daffodils and Red Bud Trees are blooming! These don't usually bloom until the end of March or April, so it certainly lifts the spirits in the middle of February. Yes, I miss the snow - the beauty of it and the fun of it...taking a night-time stroll with huge, soft flakes coming down...sledding...skiing. But I also love where I live with the moderate weather and the beauty of the flowers. Spring is breath-taking in Georgia! "Bloom where you are planted"!

How To - Bench Press

I am trying not to clutter up my personal and professional blogspots with entries that should be in one and not the other. So, on my professional blog (Lisa Zohoury, RD LD) I have posted a demo on how to properly perform a bench press...exercise of the day! Check out the link below. I will be trying to post nutrition, health and exercise tips more frequently on my RD blog so stay tuned...

Bench Press Demo

My New Favorite Female Vocalist!

I was working out in the gym this morning and suddenly I heard what I thought was an angel singing! I ran out to the front desk to ask who the artist was. Her name is Mary-Jess Leaverland from the UK and the song is "Glorious" from her album "Shine". The version below is the long version (7 mins) but I think it is the best. It is the one I heard in the gym and I downloaded this from YouTube. The song literally brought me to tears, it is so beautiful! The lyrics follow...

Over time, time will heal the heart ache,
Waiting for the joyous return,
Waiting for the coming of day break,
So close your eyes, and pray they’ll be alright,
So close your eyes, soon,
You will wake up glorious,

Glorious, glorious, glorious,

Looking up in the sky,
Are your stars shining like mine,
Can you hear this promise tonight,
I will wait forever for day break,
So close your eyes, remember me tonight,
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com 
so close your eyes, soon,
You will wake up glorious,

Glorious, glorious, glorious,
[Break]

Glorious, glorious, glorious,
[Repeat]

Over time, time will heal the heart ache,
Can you hear this promise tonight,
I could wait forever for day break.

Go Ahead...Break the Rules!

This picture got a laugh out of me! I have started to read a book called "How to Think Like Einstein" and the first chapter was about how we should not be afraid to "break the rules". This is not referring to moral laws or legal laws, but the "rules" or beliefs that we hold inside ourselves which tend to limit us. If we can get out of the rule rut, the universe is ours!

Week of Jan 16, 2012

Here's a brief update of our "doing's"...

Wednesday I had a hair cut. I get one about once a month to keep it in shape. I drove past a point of interest on the way to the salon...The Silos Park in Alpharetta. It is a cute little park with 3 large silos from a previous farm; there is also a park bench so it is a serene place to stop and sit for awhile (I haven't yet, but maybe I'll take a little picnic next month when I'm in that area again.) Here's a photo...

The Silos Park

After that I met a friend, Susan, for lunch at Marlow's Tavern in Marietta. It was fun to sit and visit and have a good lunch. Then I ran errands. That night we had a great Bible Study with the girls.

Friday night, Nasser and I met Charlie at the Golden Corral (aptly named...a bunch of animals!) for dinner. We hadn't seen him since he returned from Brazil so it was nice to catch up and hear all about his trip. He had a good time and enjoyed being with his Mom.

Sunday, after church, I went with friends to Chili's to celebrate 4 January birthdays. Only one birthday girl was able to join us, Susan, and we had a great time. I don't generally get to join them often so it was a treat. 

The weather has given us a lot of rain with more expected...this is the reason why we are so lush and green! 

Week of Jan 9, 2012

Here's a recap of the past week...

Nasser got sick again on Wednesday night. He had really bad chills and body aches. He slept all day Thursday and I was sure I would have to run the payroll to the properties. But on Friday morning he was up and dressed and feeling fine! I don't know what it was...

Wednesday, I met with Moulouk's case manager with UniSource for her 3 month follow-up visit, then ran a few errands (grocery, bank). We had a nice Bible Study on Weds. night with the girls (Heb 12).

Thurs - Sat I worked in my office; busy with year-end things, payroll, bills, etc.

Sunday, after church, Nasser, Andy, AJ and I went to "Shish Kebab", a Persian buffet in Marietta. AJ is Andy's friend from OK who is completely his clinical rotations in Atlanta. Andy and AJ came over to the house and we relaxed the rest of the afternoon. We watched the movie "Johnny English" (the first one) and it was funny. The second one we watched was "Real Steel" with Hugh Jackmon. I really enjoyed this movie! It was about boxing robots and there were a couple of human dramas going on too on various levels. I liked it!

Charlie should have arrived home from Brazil on Sunday. We didn't hear from him so have to assume all is well. He did call us once while he was visiting his Mom for a month, which was unexpected and nice. I even talked to Geni a little bit.

A quiet and relaxing weekend...

Quickie Update

It has been a little difficult getting back into my routine here. I've been tired but I'm glad to be sleeping pretty well at night. I have gone to the gym twice since getting home. I really enjoy dancing with the Zumba class. Yesterday, we learned that a close friend of Nasser's passed away in Iran. Dr. Tashayod was pretty healthy as far as we knew. I guess he had a heart attack then went into a coma (not sure). Nasser would spend time with him while in Iran; they were classmates in medical school so they've known each other a long time. I met him once, right after we got married and made the trip to Iran. This makes 3 deaths in close succession: Homa (Nasser's sister) on 11-29-11; Ben Compani's (our friend and accountant) mother about that same time; and now Nasser's friend just a few days ago. I was thinking that it is very difficult to get old...you have to be brave...but what makes it even worse is that all of your friends and loved ones pass away and it can get very lonely...Elderly people surely do deserve our respect.

Visit to Columbus GA

While Mom was visiting over Thanksgiving, she and I made a short trip south to Columbus GA to visit Bryan, Stacy and the kids. Unfortunately, we missed seeing Bryan this time...he was busy working, for gosh sake!!! We had a great time visiting with Stace and the kids. Before the kids got home from school, we went out to a Mexican Restaurant nearby for lunch. Then we drove around a little, picked Mason and Catie B up from school so we could see that, then helped unpack a few boxes. I hope to go back again soon but will leave before rush hour so I can spend a full day there. They live very close to Calloway Gardens which has a butterfly zoo, hiking paths, etc. Here are a couple of pics of Mom and me with Mason and CB...

Mason, Aunt Lisa, Catie Bea  

Kids with Great Granma

Sweet Home...Georgia!

Since I have now re-located to Roswell, Georgia, I decided to have my blog picture reflect that. The picture was taken by another photographer and is a scene of the Chattahoochee River in Winter. The Chattahoochee River is about 1 mile from our home and winds all through Atlanta and the State of Georgia.

We arrived home today around 1:00pm. The drive was long (7-7 1/2 hours) and we did not stop to eat; just a potty and gas break (gasoline, that is!). It was good to get home and the weather is mild (60s and overcast). Somehow, the freezer in the kitchen was left ajar so I have some cleaning up to do - have to assess the damage yet. Too tired to think of that now. Resting and napping this afternoon and will jump in full tilt tomorrow!

A Moonset!

I think this is the second time in my life, both of them here in Dunedin, where I have actually watched the moon set! I woke up at 6am to this "spotlight" streaming into my bedroom. Then I realized it was the moon! I went downstairs, got a cup of tea and my camera, wrapped up in an afghan and sat outside watching a beautiful gift from God on a Sunday morning! I have attached a picture but, of course, it does not do it justice...

Moonset at 6:30am Sunday Jan 8, 2012

The sunsets are also incredible!

Today is our last day here. We are planning on leaving for Atlanta in the early morning. I am ready except for last minute things. The plan was to sit in the sun and read until it was time to leave for Noushy's. They've invited us for kebabs with Jean and Irene' tonight at 5pm. However, Nasser finally called the landscaping guys (for this I am grateful!) and they have begun the work...today!! I hope they will quit soon so I can sit outside without the loud noise, etc.

Last night we went to Lucky Dill with Mehrdad and Noushy for the world-famous Reuben sandwich. Had to have our "fix" before we went back north.

The day before that, Noushy and I met at Panera Bread for lunch and had a nice long talk. We were originally going to go into Tarpon Springs, which is about 7 miles from here, to eat and walk around the shops. The area is kind of quaint in that it is highly populated with Greeks. This particular day they were celebrating a Greek Orthodox religious holiday (an epiphany, or something) so the streets were blocked off, no parking, crowds...figures.

I Did It!

I was having a heck of time trying to send photos from my iPhone to my email! Finally it occurred to me that my passwords in the iPhone had not been changed since the "hacker episode" so I made those changes. But it still wouldn't work. So I went into the settings and saw that the servers were set up in Andy's name with his passwords (it used to be his phone) so I corrected all of that to my emails and passwords. Still wouldn't work. So then I tried sending it to my original email of zohoury@bellsouth.net since the settings stated it was the primary account holder (couldn't figure out how to change that, but it is not important) and IT WORKED! So...here is a pic from my iPhone! I will post a couple of others later on.

Nazzi - Mom's (and my! )  kitty  :~)

You may have already seen this photo of Nazzi. I gave her to Mom in June 2011. Andy took her up to her when he drove up to Michigan for his prep class. Worked out great! She is a great pet for Mom because she talks back! But she can be a bit feisty at times. Watch out! She bites! She's got that look on her face in this pic! But she can also be very affectionate. Right now she is on vacay with Brian and Sarah Zender while Mom is in Colorado. Don't worry, Mom. She will remember you.

More Pics...From Cruise and our Home

This is the "gingerbread" houses in the Windjammer Cafe' on the ship.

I thought these were pretty...

Sunrise on the way home from Cozumel (the time stamp is not correct on these pics)

Head shot...waiting for the show to begin...

In the Coral Theater waiting for Los Pampas Gauchos to perform!

One of 4 Ospreys - having breakfast of fresh fish. He posed for me!

The view from my back door this morning 1-4-12 at 9:00am

The wind has died down and the weather is calm and sunny altho' cold (50-60s). Unfortunately, Nasser now has what I had. He has been up since midnight. He took what medicine we have (Dramamine, sleeping med, Aleve for cramping...) and trying to rest.

Cruisin'

We just returned from a cruise to Cozumel, Mexico! It was a nice get-away and fun for the New Year's Eve Party. Four days was long enough - felt like we were gone a lot longer. And it was so nice to leave from the Tampa Port. Only took us 45 minutes to get there. Unfortunately, I got sick but, on a positive note, it was the night before our return home so it did not interfere with the cruise, and it's one way to lose all that extra weight!

Our first night at sea.

Happy New Year 2012!

Formal night after a day at Cozumel, Mexico

Nasser, on the first night.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

A Little Piece of Paradise

This is our dock.

This is the sea wall and part of our lawn. The island is the one where many people go to picnic.

The Causeway to Honeymoon Island State Park, Draw Bridge. Visible from my backyard.

The island that I will hopefully kayak to some day.

Honeymoon Beach in the distance.

The view from our back yard looking to the right.

Christmas in Dunedin 2011

This is a picture of our Christmas Tree this year. I bought all new ornaments to make it feel new and refreshed. I like having it in the kitchen area where we can enjoy it the majority of the time.