This is what's up...

{Nick, swearing into the Marines}

Scarlett is getting bigger by the second

and badd-er by the minute.

my house is infested with doggie-discipline books

one on barking

one on submission

one on what's going through her head

one on how to stay the course and not throw in the towel

...and a schedule for puppy school at PetSmart

Yesterday she ate a shoe lace and a pair of sweatpants and peed on the floor...

but only because ONE of us {a-hem, Nick}

forgot she can't be alone for very long and turned his back-

they are BOTH on probation.

Alex is continuing to seek direction for his future,

Emma just attended a friend's "Quinceanera",

which was new to us and an interesting taste of her friend's culture...

{also, like a small wedding-ish celebration that my budget is glad we don't participate in.}

Last week it got warm enough outside to stand over this

It tasted like summer...

Even though when I turned around,

it looked nothing at all like summer.

It's an interesting thing that is happening over here...

we're busy, 

and yet, not...

some of the busyness is just in enjoying each other's presence

and reveling in the here and now...

{that's my perspective, the kids might just say they're sick of being together}

For Christmas, my parents' gift to the whole family was this

which will be happening in less than a month...

I don't think I've ever been so ready to get out of Dodge as I am now.

I'm craving warm sun

ocean breeze

maid service

food prepared by a chef 

{who's name tag does not spell out T-e-r-r-i}

But mostly, I'm just excited for all 13 of us to be together for a week....

where it's warm..

The media is trying pretty hard to put a damper on my enthusiasm.

Every day it seems there's a Cruise liner in the spotlight...

today's news went like this:

"3 Cruise Ships Disinfected After Norovirus"

Seriously,

knock it off!

No gastrointestinal illness will slow me down..

Not even the threat of vomiting, diahrrea or nausea will damper my enthusiasm..

No ship run aground will deter me from collecting my tankini and flip flops off the closet floor..

So just enough already..

if you don't have something nice to print, 

then just don't print anything, okay?

"It isn't that life ashore is distasteful to me. But life at sea is better."
-Sir Francis Drake

{Here, here, Sir Drake}