Louis Watson 1928 -2009

(We love you, Grandpa. You were a good and hardworking man. You'll be missed, and someday we'll see you again in Heaven.)
Grandpa passed on July 2, 2009 at 2:29pm. It's very sad, but he's not miserable anymore.

On a lighter note, our dog loves us. What a sweet baby. :)

Cruise 2009

Our long-awaited cruise was fun! We took a lot of good pictures to remember it.
We left the house on May 9 around 2:30am to head for the airport in Chicago. We got there without much trouble. Taking off in the plane was a bit worrisome for me, but once the plane was at about 38,000 feet, I was able to rest/sleep for most of the flight. We arrived at the Miami airport and then the port for the cruise ship very smoothly. There was a lot of waiting, but we finally received access to our balcony room at 1:30pm. We spent the evening getting acquainted with the boat and testing out the fruity drinks! We found the casino and I won $27.75 on a slot machine!
The we spent the next day cruising the water, heading for Jamaica. We laid out in the sun and I got the most horrible sunburn on my legs that I’ve ever had. My legs stung and hurt when I tried to walk and eventually my ankles swelled.
Jamaica was beautiful. We climbed up a gorgeous waterfall and got drenched. I wish I could have taken more pictures, but our camera wouldn’t have made it through the waterfall. The water was clear and cold. It bubbled and rushed past us as we worked our way to the top. We met locals who were determined to get “tips” and “donations” through every point in the day. Two ladies offered to braid my hair. (No way, by the way) One guy came up and put seeded necklaces around us and said they were free, then came back and wanted money for them. Heh! It was nuts, but exhilarating.
Grand Cayman was lovely. We bought a tour and saw a turtle farm, an area of beach, a barren scorched area they called “Hell”, some historical buildings, and a rum cake factory. We bought some things to give away and to keep. We were able to get a lot more pictures than in Jamaica. I heard a rooster crow. I saw baby chicks hopping around and several iguanas lounging in the sun. The country is ran by a governor that is appointed every five years by England’s queen. It’s an interesting place.
We spent the rest of the cruise relaxing and soaking up the sun on the boat’s many decks. My freckles came out and Marcus got a nice tan. The cruise went really fast.
We had a rough flight back to Chicago. It was very bumpy- not good for anxious flier. Also, we watched the conveyer belts for at least half an hour before being told that our luggage didn’t make it back to Chicago on our flight. We ended up finding out that the bags traveled on an earlier flight and were waiting for us all along! Nice!
We’re glad to be home, but think we’ll make cruising an annual vacation.

6,5,4,3,2,1...Cruise!

Random acts of kindness are endearing to hear about, but when someone pops an act on me, it's a crazy feeling. Marcus and I were at a bakery on our lunch break, and after we picked our healthy lunch (cookies!), the lady behind us in line picked up our tab. It was a big surprise.

My anatomy and physiology class finishes up on Tuesday. About 1/3 of the class made it through the semester. I'm proud of how well I did. I'm ready for the next level of the course that starts in late May.

Marcus started his second season of softball with our church. Him and I threw the ball around in our yard for practice today. Bently had fun watching us and fetching the occasional pitch to him. It's a fun game. Marcus is going to have a good time.

It's almost time for our cruise! We'll take lots of pictures.

xoXo

46

That's right, 46 days until we board our Carnival cruise ship. Woot! There is a high level of anticipation in this household for all the fun we're about to embark on. We'll be visiting Jamaica and the Cayman Islands on our 5 night get-a-way.

Bently, our dog, hit his 7 month mark a couple days ago. If you've ever read the book or watched the movie "Marley and Me", that's sums up the character of our pup too. He's a nut.

Marcus got a promotion at work and he's doing very well . I'm still working part-time and going to school for nursing.

Getting Off to a Good Start

I got a treadmill and love it! It has a Ipod port, so I don't have to wear an earpiece. I'm getting more and more endurance to keep on moving, so that's a point of happiness in my life.
We are taking a Wednesday night class at church, trying to figure out what our spiritual gifts are, and how to better use them. It's really interesting to know that everyone was born with one or more gifts to serve God. One day we are all going to stand in front of God, and He's going to ask what we have done to serve Him with our gifts. It's a deep concept.
It's fun to see God working in my life; even the little things make me take note. Yesterday we were in a parking lot, carrying a shirt that Marcus wanted to return. The receipt flew out of the bag and danced around in the parking lot. Marcus was kneeling in the dirty snow, looking for it underneath cars, etc., then when we thought it was gone for good, it danced right in front of me and I snatched it up. Hah!
Bently's doing good, just really naughty. He recently got fixed and has been losing his baby teeth. Lots of things are getting chewed on, but at least he's cute. A new neighbor just moved in downstairs in our apartment building, and I'm hearing they have a Doberman (BIG dog). Hopefully Bently will have a friend, not a nemesis.
Work is going well for us both. We're thankful to have jobs in this day.
Overall, we're very blessed.

Merry CHRISTmas!

I love hearing angel stories. I've heard two recently that have touched my heart. First, my mother, who prays to Jesus for angels to watch over her, was told by a patient at the hospital where she works, that she saw angels all around my mom. It was really a neat feeling to hear this. Second, there is a news story circulating about a hospitalized child who was very near death. They were considering pulling her off life support, when an angel showed up (who was caught on the security camera as well as witnessed by a doctor and a nurse). The girl was healed within an hour! The captured image is a bright light that is undeniably shaped like an angel with a head, two wings, and a robe that touched to the floor. Praise Jesus! You should search for the article and see for yourself.

Christmas was wonderful. We spent the whole day between our two mother's houses. We will be spending Saturday with my Dad's side, and I look forward to meeting his new girlfriend! I'm so happy for for my Pops!

Watching family open gifts was the most fun, especially since we generally went with a light-hearted approach this year. (haha!)

We received many wonderful and thoughtful gifts, so to those reading, thank you so much! What a great day.

Bently is doing well. We are working on teaching him more commands. His face is getting really furry and furry = adorable. Marcus and I are both deeply attached. Bently is very loyal and likes to be right in the middle of whatever's going on.

Please keep Jesus in your heart and be thankful for his many blessings.

update

Thanksgiving with my mom's side was good. Lots of family and fun time. Marcus and I hovered under the radar on the actual holiday and made our own feast.

We've been doing Christmas shopping and have just a few more people to buy for. I'm one of those people who prefer online shopping, so the people that deliver mail are getting to know me on a first name basis. Maybe that's not a good sign, but I love the flexibility!

Marcus and I splurged on new running shoes. Our new beloved brand is New Balance. Hopefully we'll start to balance out the money that been electronically deducted from our bank account by going to the YMCA more frequently in the near future.

Our dog is a maniac. He has super freak tendencies where he bites anything, charges full speed around the house, chases his tails, and arguably barks louder than any other dog. I treasure the calm and sweet moments that occasionally happen. He's still really adorable, that helps too.

Marcus' car is an pretty funny topic. He drives it diligently even though he has to cover himself with a big towel because it leaks melted snow. Also the bottom is rusted out, so he has to worry about potentially falling though and getting his butt burned by the pavement. It keeps starting though, and hopefully God will open up a door to a good deal.

God's been really good to us though, and we've been learning a lot through this class we've been going to on Wednesday evenings.

Enjoy the last month of 2008!