it's Angela's special day!

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

We wish you a day of FUN & SMILES, Mom! :-)

Love,

Susan, Sal, Buddy & Aruba

the dilemma of captivity

I am deeply saddened by the tragedy at SeaWorld yesterday. It's such a loss all around ... the death of a dedicated, animal-loving trainer and a reminder that the instincts of wild animals are unnaturally suppressed in a captive environment.

I was reminded of my post back on May 5, 2008, where I raised the question of animals in captivity, including at places like SeaWorld. It's a struggle in my mind ... you know how it's my mission to speak up for the voiceless animals! I surely recognize the benefit of public awareness of these amazing creatures, and how it leads to protections for them in the wild. After all, when it comes to animal welfare, education & awareness can open our human minds and hearts to compassion & empathy.

But perhaps the price that captive animals pay for the sake of our "education" is too high? It's my understanding that killer whales are no longer captured and brought into captivity, which is good news. Nonetheless, I question the psychological trauma that these complex creatures must feel living in anti-social, confined conditions.

And since my 2008 post, I've been to Alaska. And I saw orcas in the wild, swimming contentedly with their pods in open waters. They are curious, playful, and obviously enjoy being social with their family. They came over to our boat to have a look AT US !!!

How can this scene be compared to a lonely tank? Let's re-think the concept of captivity.

baptism scrapbook page

Hey there, hope you're enjoying the weekend. Seems like it's COLD almost everywhere in the U.S. right now, yes even here in Florida!

I'm making good use of my "indoor" time since it's chilly outside. Our friends' son will be baptized tomorrow, so I whipped-up a scrapbook page for them in celebration of the big occasion:

I went with a palette of aqua, light olive green, and chocolate brown. Love that color combo! And I thought it was masculine while avoiding the predictable shades of blue. Of interest to my sb'ing pals ... I stamped the word "baptism" with Technique Tuesday's Piccadilly alphabet (extra large). I thought it was a nice font choice for this layout.

Here are a few close-ups of the details:

I used Martha Stewart's arch lattice edge punch on the photo mats (love Martha's punches!):

Hope they like it!

be their Valentine

Ah, Valentine's weekend is upon us! Hope you have something sweet planned.

And if you've been considering adopting a new furry friend into your family, now's the perfect time! Starting today, and continuing through Valentine's Day Sunday, PetSmart is teaming up with local animal shelters to host a "Second Chance For Love" National Adoption Weekend at their stores. This charity has placed over 4 million (!!!) animals in forever homes.

I'm proud to say that our sweet Buddy was adopted from the Indianapolis Animal Shelter at a PetSmart adoption event!
Go HERE to find a PetSmart near you. And thanks for sharing your love with a homeless animal in need! :-)

Canada: hosting the Olympic Shames 2010

So the big day arrives tomorrow ... opening ceremonies of the winter Olympic games. How exciting!

But I can't bring myself to be proud of Canada, the Olympic host country.

What they're not advertising is that as the Olympics end, their country's annual BARBARIC seal hunt will begin. Again. They just won't stop! All that animal suffering, and for what? The same old thing ... Canadian dollars. Money. Apparently there's still a demand for the fur and skin of helpless, defenseless seals. And Canada steps right in to fill it. SHAME !!!

Many of us (me included!) thought the NFL was wrong in supporting player Michael Vick after his admitted horrific dog abuse. Yet, we let an entire country's government slide for these horrific (just use your imagination!) seal abuses. Why is that???

Please go HERE to sign a pre-written letter to the Olympic Committee and the Canadian Prime Minister, voicing your disapproval of the hunt. No matter what your stance is on PETA, this fight isn't about them. It's about innocent animals who live on the ice as nature intends, only to be clubbed to death. I personally can't imagine dying that way! Can you?

Maybe, someday, Canada will listen to us and stop the BRUTAL slaughter. I know that this isn't the most pleasant topic to read about on my blog. But it's important, and hopefully, I won't have to write about it in the future.

On behalf of the voiceless animals, thank you!

super Super Bowl, not-so-super ads

So how was your weekend? Did you watch the Super Bowl? We did!

Sal and I aren't sports fans ... at all. Except for the Olympics and the Super Bowl. We pull out some snacks and watch the entire game. Even the pre-game kick-off show! We enjoy the festivities, and this year the game was here in SoFla, which made it a little more exciting.

The game was great! That interception/touchdown play by the Saints was the best of the night. Having lived in Indiana for 7 years, we were behind the Colts, but it was nice to watch the Saints win their first Super Bowl.

And from previous posts, you know how I see advertising as a potentially brilliant art form. I love, love, love a good ad! But during this year's game, the ads were, um ... disappointing overall. Most were lame, ordinary, less than clever, not funny. Those ad agencies did not impress me. If I had to pick a favorite though, it was the Google ad. Simple and effective and kind of sweet, it kept me watching because I wanted to see where they were going with it. The worst ads were by Doritos. Awful, in poor taste, bordering on offensive. If you missed any of the ads, or want to watch them again, they're all HERE.

Have a great week ahead,

it's Deborah's special day!

Happy birthday today to my sister-in-law, Deborah! She lives in Gulfport, Florida.

We wish you a day of FUN & SMILES, Deborah! :-)

Love,
Susan, Sal, Buddy & Aruba

it's Sal's special day!

Happy birthday today to my dear husband, Sal !!!

I wish you a day full of smiles! :-)

Enjoy !!!

Love you lots,

Susan (and Buddy & Aruba too!)

Google love

If you went to the Google search page yesterday, you might have noticed this:

My Mom pointed it out to us (thanks!) because this picture has REALLY special meaning to me & Sal. The Norman Rockwell image that Google incorporated into its logo is the same image that was on the very first card that Sal, my then-brand-new-boyfriend, ever gave to me (nearly 22 years ago)!

Oh, that sweet boy and girl huddled together ... and do you notice the adorable beagle that's with them??? Wow! We of course had not yet talked about adopting a beagle at that very early stage in our relationship, but that's exactly what happened 7 years after we got married! Buddy joined us in the 'family photo'.

Awww....

taxes. done.

It's that time of year again ... the Tax Man cometh.

Yesterday, I dug out all of our documents and decided to get cracking on our '09 taxes. I got on a roll, and just kept going. And finished! I e-filed last night, yay! So nice to have that task out of my hair.

Just an FYI if you haven't done your taxes yet, and if you have donated toward the tragedy in Haiti (or intend to before March 1) ... the IRS is allowing us to deduct those charitable contributions on our '09 taxes! That's right, you don't have to wait until filing your 2010 return to claim them. Go HERE for all the IRS rules and regs. This is awesome, because it will encourage even more donations.

And then there's the FUN part --- the REFUND! If you're expecting one, check out the IRS's Refund Cycle Chart to estimate when the $$$ will arrive in your bank account or mailbox. Another way to get the status of your refund is the Where's My Refund? page on the IRS website.

Happy filing,

Buddy had a great Saturday!

Anxiety gave way to immense relief yesterday at the cancer clinic with Buddy. He received an "all clear" from the oncologist !!!! We are SO thankful !!! His bloodwork and lung X-rays both came back fine ... NO TUMORS! Yay for Buddy! We're ecstatic!



The blood tests are critical because they check for any kidney problems, a potential side effect of one of his chemo drugs. And they have to make sure his blood cell counts are OK too so that he can safely continue on the chemo drugs.

Sal and I were both so emotionally exhausted after the appt that we needed a nap. It wore Buddy out, too ... the sweet angel fell asleep in the car on the way home! It's tough to go to the animal cancer clinic. Alongside the potential for bad news, there's no shortage of sadness in the waiting room ... a dog was near death from leukemia in the next room. An adorable bassett hound was beginning chemo. And I've met dogs who are missing legs due to bone cancer. Many, many stories of brave doggies. But looking beyond the sadness, my spirit is always SO lifted to see SO many people caring SO much for their animal companions. It's terrific!


A huge thanks to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, & concern for Buddy. We realize that yesterday could have had a very different outcome, and we're just so thankful that Buddy is well and we're treasuring every moment with him & Aruba.

... nervous ...

Hi all ~

Hope you've had a great week. Me? Not so much. Honestly, I've been anxious, jittery. Tomorrow (Sat.), Buddy has an appointment at the cancer clinic. He will get the usual remission exam, bloodwork, and refills of chemo pills. But this time he'll also get follow-up X-rays of his lungs. And I hope and pray there are no tumors. So my nerves are jangled! The upside is that he's doing well ... great appetite, energetic, playful. And mischievous even! So CUTE when he's naughty, LOL. All of that is encouraging, to me. I'll be back during the weekend with an update on his checkup.


I did have a nice distraction last night though! Every week, my favorite scrapbooking designer, Heidi Swapp, does a live webcast online. It's such fun ... she demos techniques & new products, answers questions in a live chat, and even randomly gives away prizes. So imagine my surprise when, at the end of this week's webcast, they called out that "Susan in Florida" is a winner! OMG, that's ME! Yes, I have some fun goodies coming in the mail. I won a heart shadow box from House of 3 (Heidi's digital sb'ing venture). Here's a peek of it:

Pretty, huh? The box can be "scrapbooked" inside and out ... I'm not sure what embellishments will be included with mine, but that'll be part of the fun when it arrives. Thanks Heidi! :-)

out on the (home)town

Over the weekend, we joined some friends to "play tourist" right here at home.

We'd been planning this "day-cation" for several months, but it seems the stars had to align for it to happen ... between our busy schedules, caring for Buddy (he's doing very well, by the way!), waiting for a great weather day, etc. And then, finally, we made it happen!

We went on a sightseeing cruise here in Delray Beach, aboard this yacht:

The Lady Atlantic sails the Intracoastal Waterway from downtown Delray Beach south to Boca Raton, then back again. For 2 hours we passed beautiful scenery, including posh homes (ok, they're actually over-the-top mansions) along the shore. You can see some of them here, behind Sal:

For the first half of the trip, the captain narrated and we learned some interesting things (I love that kind of stuff!). I didn't know that the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway was dredged by the military to create a shipping channel that would be protected by a barrier island between the waterway and the Atlantic Ocean ... this was to guard vessels against torpedo attacks coming from the ocean during wartime.

We also learned that Delray Beach was named by farmers from Michigan, who arrived here looking for a better climate. They originally named our city Delray after a neighborhood in Detroit that's also called Delray, and then added "Beach" to make it more appealing to prospective visitors and residents. Works for me!

Sometimes it's nice to be a "tourist" where you live, right? ... we loved seeing our hometown from the water, a new perspective.

Afterwards, we enjoyed some pizza together in our quaint downtown ... good friends, good food, good times ... so nice!

it's Maria's special day!

Happy birthday today to Sal's cousin, Maria! She lives in Croydon, PA (near Philadelphia).

We wish you a FUN day that's full of smiles, Maria! :-)

Love,

Susan, Sal, Buddy & Aruba

belated wishes to Jen!

My apologies to my sister-in-law, Jen, in Gulfport, Florida ... yesterday was her birthday, and I missed posting it here. :-( I had a migraine for part of the day, and I guess that distracted me. Sorry!

Belated happy birthday, Jen! Hope you enjoyed your day! :-)

Love,
Susan, Sal, Buddy & Aruba

it's my Grandma's special day!

Happy 88th birthday today to my Grandma! She lives in southern Ontario, Canada.

We hope you enjoy your day, Grandma, and wish you a great new year ahead!

With love from your grandchildren,

Susan & Sal

photo editing is now a Picnik

Calling all scrapbookers, photographers, bloggers, and anyone who enjoys enhancing their photos ... your attention please!

I read (in the newspaper, of course!) about a new, online, free photo editing tool that is SO MUCH FUN. And did I mention that it's FREE? It's called Picnik.

To test run Picnik, I uploaded a photo from our trip to Paris in 2004. A little history of the photo: we purchased a painting from an artist in the Montmartre district, and spent some time watching him work ... it was such an enjoyable & unique experience (he used spatulas instead of brushes), that I snapped some photos of his palette.

OK, so for comparison, this is my original photo, "before" any editing:

And here's the "after" ... (lots of editing features are available!) ... I chose to do some cropping, color enhancement, corner rounding, soft focusing, and added text in a fancy swirly font that felt "Paris-y" in blue and voila!:

So what do you think? I say ooh la la !!

As a scrapbooker, blogger & a (very) amateur photographer, I'm already IN LOVE with this tool! No software to buy or download. And I can edit photos right in my web browser and then save them to my computer. Picnik is easy and intuitive.

You can bet you'll be seeing more fun effects on my photos from now on here at Where In The World? !!

Enjoy,

The Dream

"....I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character...." MLK, 1963

Today is a special and important holiday here in the United States. It's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, celebrating the ideals of equality that he fought (and suffered) for.

I'm always so moved when I read or hear his famous I Have A Dream speech. Profound & powerful words! And the following year, it prompted the 1964 Civil Rights Act. You can read the full, exact text of the speech HERE.

And in 2011, the MLK National Memorial is slated to open. It'll be located between the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial. Part of the memorial will be a stone wall inscribed with excerpts of his sermons and public addresses. Go HERE to take a great 3.5-minute virtual tour of the MLK Memorial. I can't wait to visit it the next time I'm in DC!

another way to help The Red Cross

Did you know that you can donate some (or all) of your frequent flier miles to The American Red Cross? YES, you can!

The miles facilitate the transport of volunteers & staff to critical areas in need, like Haiti.

Click HERE to find out how to donate miles that you've accrued with their partner airlines ... USAirways, Continental, Delta, Northwest & United.

Continued thoughts & prayers going out to the people (and animals) of Haiti, and to the rescue teams....

reaching out to Haiti's animal victims

The tragedy in Haiti is overwhelming. The suffering, the agony of its residents is completely unimaginable! I'm sure that many of you have reached out to help them by donating to The Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, or the like. News reports are saying that contributions are flowing in despite the sour economy. One of our local news stations set-up a telethon, and a homeless man called in and wanted to donate the $20 bill in his pocket! Isn't that wonderful?

But I'd like to request your generosity again, please ... this time to help Haiti's ANIMAL residents. Like their human companions, they are no doubt in pain, traumatized, hungry, desperate. But in the aftermath of disasters, their suffering is often the last to be relieved.

Two animal welfare groups have joined forces to assist the animals of Haiti, the International Fund for Animal Welfare and the World Society for the Protection of Animals. They are right now working to get a mobile veterinary clinic to Port-au-Prince, a HUGE undertaking ... your donation will help stock it with antibiotics, bandages, and other supplies. Also, The Humane Society International is coordinating animal relief efforts from the Dominican Republican, if you prefer to support them. And The Best Friends Rapid Response Team (BF is the amazing animal sanctuary in Utah that I visited last year) will be assisting with animal rescues.

On behalf of the animals, thank you,