meow

About a week ago, I took Sal out to dinner ... I wanted to celebrate a recent career achievement with him. Such a happy night. Until ...

... on the way home, on a dark stretch of road, a cat darted right in front of my car! OMG, it happened in an instant, I didn't even have a chance to move my foot to the brake! I was devastated and in total shock ... I made a U-turn to check on him/her, hoping that maybe it was only injured, that we could rush it to a vet. (Thankfully, Sal was with me, was more composed, and helped me.) Unfortunately tho, it died instantly. So awful !! I am hoping it didn't suffer even for a second. And he/she wasn't wearing a collar, so I couldn't even contact the family. It was a terrible feeling, I still can see it all clearly in my mind.

From what I saw of the cat in my headlights, it was an adult, light gray, with a little bit of striping. A precious life, ended by me. {tears}

I've been searching for a way to somehow "give back". I know that this was an unavoidable accident, but as someone who works daily on behalf of all animals for their welfare and protection, this has left me grieving and wanting to somehow "make up for" what happened.

And last night the answer came when this story aired on NBC Nightly News about helping animals in tornado-ravaged Joplin, Missouri ... it touched me immediately:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

They told of how donors are "sponsoring" animals, donating cash to assist with placing animals in forever homes. I went to the Joplin Humane Society sponsorship page ... searched for a light gray adult cat with a little bit of striping, hoping to give him/her the life that was taken from the cat here in the street. And look who I found:

His name? BUDDY! OMG, just like my precious beagle! How special is that?

So, I'm his sponsor and I hope it helps him find a forever home very soon! I think with those adorable whiskers, it won't take long.....

happy St. Patrick's Day!

hello Lionel !!

{blogged from my iPhone}

Watching Lionel Richie LIVE on HSN right now.....

it's Angie's special day!

Today our sweet niece Angie is celebrating her "Sweet 16" birthday! Happy birthday, Angie!

Enjoy this special day of fun and happy memories! :-)

Love,
Aunt Susan, Uncle Sal, Buddy & Aruba

we are their voice.....

I saw this ad in the Atlanta airport last week ... LOVE it !!

I fall for color....

Every year when October rolls around, I get a bit frustrated, thinking how I've always wanted to go to New England -- Vermont in particular -- to see the fiery & colorful show that the turning leaves put on there. I love color!! And every year I think, "maybe next year....."

Well, 2012 is "next year"! This fall, Sal and I are heading to Vermont to do some LEAF PEEPING (and yes, there's even an app for that!) ... I'm SO excited! :-) I mean, look at this!

I've had to start planning early ... everything books-up well in advance; after all, people travel from all over the world to see this arboreal spectacle!We'll probably stop first in a couple of other New England states; Sal will visit some prestigious universities to share his exciting research! Plus, I'll get to visit my friend Teri who lives in Massachusetts, yay! {waving hello!}

Then we'll be off to Vermont to stay in cozy country inns, visit quaint small towns and covered bridges, drive scenic country lanes, hike trails ablaze in red & orange & gold, browse in little country stores, go on a hayride (Sal's cringing at the thought!), visit a pumpkin patch, pick just-ripened apples at an oh-so-fragrant orchard ... all that quintessential autumn stuff that we can't do here in practically year-round-summer Florida (not that I'm complaining, ha!). Other than Boston and Cape Cod, we've never been to New England, and I really look forward to experiencing this part of the USA.

And, as I usually do when planning a trip, I've added on a bonus excursion ... something else I've always wanted to do! ... we'll drive east through the autumn splendor of the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire to the stunning coast of Maine, where we'll explore spectacular Acadia National Park.

Not that I'm rushing 2012, but I can't wait to "leave" !!

Enjoy the weekend,

rough weather

Scary Friday night here in the Atlanta area ... tornado sirens blaring and all of us scrapbookers had to get into a safe room at the event! Still some strong storms moving thru....

taking off ....

.... heading to Atlanta for a weekend of scrapbooking fun with my friend Susan! :-)

But I miss Sal, Buddy & Aruba already!
{blogged from my iPhone}

more planning in progress!

food for thought....

Powerful messages of compassion are sprouting-up on billboards around the Denver, Colorado area right now, courtesy of the fabulous animal welfare group, Mercy For Animals. I love this one:


Did you know that while all 50 states afford dogs and cats legal protection from abuse and neglect, animals on factory farms have little or no legal protection in most states? So who's protecting them? They need our voice! The pain and suffering that these sentient creatures endure -- before and during slaughter -- is (unimaginable) ANIMAL CRUELTY !

Please re-consider what's on your dinner plate ... go HERE to go veg!

On behalf of animals, thank you!

at the beach!

...blogged from my iPhone.....

happy Valentine's Day!

Looking forward to a romantic evening out with my "Salentine".....
XOXO,
Susan

scrapbooking, sprinkled with fabulous....

Scrapbookers everywhere have been drooling over all the new crafting goodies revealed at the recent Craft & Hobby Association trade show in California. Such fun new releases will be hitting store shelves soon!

Michelle, who's the owner of my terrific local scrapbook store Everything Scrapbook & Stamps in Lake Worth FL, attended the show. She stopped by the booth of my fave scrapbooking designer, Heidi Swapp. Michelle knows that I'm so excited about Heidi's new product launch (see her new catalog HERE), and she so was kind to bring me one of Heidi's handmade button pins bearing her logo, and I just LOVE it !! And it was the LAST ONE left at the booth ... so how lucky am I ??

Thank you SO much, Michelle! :-)

And I wanted to mention some exciting news ... Michelle has been invited to be a celebrity teacher on a mixed-media art cruise in October! Congratulations, Michelle!

And speaking of Heidi ... registration has opened for her upcoming online class; it's sure to be "sprinkled with fabulous"!

quack!

Sal stopped for a haircut yesterday, arriving at just the right time to witness an adorable spectacle! Apparently a mother duck and her (count 'em!) 14 ducklings are often out in front of the hair shop on their way to a canal that's behind the shop. Instead of watching the feathered family try to dodge traffic and other hazards to reach the water, the hairdressers open the front door, usher them through the shop, and they head out the back door to the canal! OMG, how precious is that ?!?

Enjoy the weekend,

it's Deborah's special day!

Happy birthday today to Sal's sister, Deborah! She lives in Gulfport, Florida.

We wish you a FUN day full of HAPPY memories, Deborah! :-)

Love, Susan, Sal, Buddy & Aruba

it's Sal's special day!

Happy birthday today to the love of my life, my darling Sal !!! (and today's SuperBowl Sunday too ... how cool is that??)

Sweetheart, I wish you a day full of smiles and a new year filled with happiness! :-)

Buddy & Aruba & I love you lots!


XOXO,

pumpkin for my little pumpkins

They love it !!

happy spa-li-days (to me!)

I had planned to start the new year off right ... relaxed & refreshed with a visit to the spa sometime in January. But the month got busy and slipped away from me, and here it is February already!

During the holidays, I noticed that the Seagate Spa was having a giftcard promotion, including a free beach tote in one of my favorite colors (lime green!), so I made that a "from-me-to-me" Christmas gift ... a gift card to use "someday". And who can't use a new beach tote? ;-) It's a fairly new spa here in Delray Beach, and I've driven by it several times thinking "I'll give it a try someday".

So today was "someday"! I took the day off, got up really early to catch-up on some work, and then spent today at the spa. I chose the Rain Massage ... 80 minutes of B-L-I-S-S !! It starts with a full-body exfoliation using sugar cane and coconut oil. This really gets the blood pumping, and leaves your skin so soft, smooth. Next came a tension-relieving massage performed while a rain shower of warm water cascaded down onto me. I added on a soothing scalp massage, too. They use frangipani oil, it smells sooooo good! Geez, I'm relaxing all over again as I write this, LOL !!

Also spent some time lounging in their eucalyptus-infused steam room and in the outdoor heated pool (even tho today The Sunshine State ... wasn't). Took a break for lunch and savored this DELISH tomato soup !!
Overall, a nice spahhhh day!

I just love going to the spa, it's like pushing life's "reset button".

ok, NOW I'm ready for 2012 ......

Live from B&N, it's Saturday night!

Enjoying a night out with Sal at one of my (our) fave places .... always so inspiring to be surrounded by so many great books, so much knowledge! Hope you're enjoying the weekend too!

it's Girl Scout cookie time!

And I stocked-up today! ... Thin Mints, Tag-a-longs, Samoas, and the new lemony Savannah Smiles (to celebrate the Girl Scouts' 100th anniversary). YUM !!!

This is a test post....

(I'm posting from my iPhone using the Blogger app)

Loving all of the sneak peeks of new products from Heidi Swapp!

(It worked, yay!)

this is my 550th post !!

Today is my "blog-a-versary" ... 4 years ago today I began sharing my thoughts, happenings & travels here at Where In The World? !!

Just wanted to send a big "thank you" to all of you who routinely stop by ... I love it!

Looking forward to sharing Year 5 with you! :-)

Enjoy the weekend,

Where In The World?: 2012 edition

I'm so excited to finally share our 2012 travel destination! ta da!

This summer, Sal and I will head west, journeying through Wyoming and Montana to explore 3 of our country's amazing national parks ...

Grand Teton National Park:



Yellowstone National Park:


and Glacier National Park:

{photos courtesy of National Geographic Society}

Sal and I love traveling around the world ...exploring new countries and cultures ... but this year we've opted to travel domestically and explore some of the USA's treasures.

We're so looking forward to soaking-in all of the natural beauty, wildlife, geology, crisp mountain air, and hiking trails that await us! If you've been to these parks, I'd love to hear about your experiences (and any tips)! Please leave a comment here on WITW, or shoot me an e-mail.

Can't wait to pack my new Pan Am bag! ;-)

"appy" holidays

Whew, we're already a week into 2012 !! Before we get too far into the new year I'd thought I share a few scenes of our Christmas festivities....

Sal and I had some fun with fellow faculty, staff, and grad students at the FAU Chemistry Dept's holiday party:

Santa brought iPhone 4s's to my parents, woo hoo! We all had fun downloading apps and stuff over the holidays ... I got them addicted to the Word Warp game, LOL:Buddy & Aruba had a blast opening their gifts!

Thank you, Grandma! :-)


Hope 2012 is off to a great start for you!

it's my Dad's special day!

Happy birthday today to my Dad! He lives in Seminole, Florida.

We wish you a special & memorable day, Daddy! :-)

Love,

Susan, Sal, Buddy & Aruba

happy new year!

Welcome 2012 !!

Sal and I began this new year as we always do, with a group hug with Buddy & Aruba at midnight. It's the best!

I (sadly) took down our 2011 Greece calendar ... loved that trip! But I already have my 2012 calendar hung ... you might recall that I always choose a calendar theme based on the destination(s) that we'll be visiting that upcoming year. And Where In The World? is our 2012 destination? ... TBA ! (soon!) {planning in progress... I'm waiting and hoping that airfares will come down, LOL}

Wishing you all the best in 2012 ... my hope is that all suffering around the world --- both human and animal --- will somehow be replaced by joyful living.