shock and ... awwww

Recognizing and appreciating the many sacrifices of our military men & women this Memorial Day holiday.... including their painful separation from their beloved dogs during their deployments. 

The link below has a great compilation of touching canine reunions when they return home.  {have a tissue handy}

If you ever doubted that animals have emotions.....

Military Members' Emotional Reunions With Their Dogs

happy Easter!

Buddy & Aruba surprised me with this sweet Easter basket this morning, complete with hand-shredded paper "grass"!
(thank you Sal)

happy new year!

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving 2012

Well, it's back to reality this week after Thanksgiving break.  Another busy semester is coming to a close for me and Sal... although the research lab never slows down!

Hope you enjoyed the holiday weekend?  Sal and I had a fun visit with family.  Spent some time enjoying Florida's delightful fall weather, relaxing under my parents' orange tree and walking in the local park.

We started the holiday off with attending a Mannheim Steamroller concert the night before Thanksgiving. 

 

I've loved their Christmas music for years... their masterful blend of unique instruments (think lutes, dulcimers, synthesizers, snare drums, various flutes) gives an addictive twist to holiday tunes.  And we had front-row seats (!!) which allowed us to watch them work their magic, to see how the music is made, up-close.  And the musicians met with the audience after the concert, so nice.  Hoping they come back to SoFla again next year!

My Mom and I enjoyed some Black Friday fun at (where else?) a few scrapbook stores, Whim-So-Doodle and Scraps of Art and Michaels.  But the deals just didn't seem to compare to last year, for some reason?  What did you think?

And all that shopping fatigue meant that we needed some pampering, LOL !!  So Mom and I spent an afternoon of indulgence at Indaba Spa. 

It was her first visit to a spa and she loved it, we'll definitely be going again sometime!  Indaba is a beautiful facility, with African-themed artwork and treatments with Moroccan oils.  They have a unique labyrinth garden where you can spend a little quiet time reflecting as you walk through, greeted by stones etched with thoughts that invite you to slow down, to ponder.

Enjoy the holiday season!  :-)

Susan

have a fang-tastic Halloween!

Labor Day weekend

Hi everyone!

I hope you enjoyed the long holiday weekend? (for my readers outside the U.S., it was Labor Day here)

The weather was really nice here in SoFla, so Sal and I enjoyed some beach time

and a nature walk at the wetlands (we even saw one of the kittens from the [elusive] bobcat family that lives there!).

 

There's also excitement among crafters here in Delray Beach because Michaels opened a store here over the weekend! :-). There are other M's stores 5-10 miles away, but it's nice to have a 'hometown' one now. I was so busy enjoying the outdoors that I haven't been to their Grand Opening yet... but the festivities are happening all week long. Will check it out!

I'll be back soon with a post about our visit to Grand Teton National Park....

Have a great week ahead,

Susan

go Fourth and celebrate!

Happy 4th of July!

Hoping to enjoy some time in the pool today, but right now it's thundering --- WAAAHHH !!

Looking forward to fireworks tonight tho, Florida style ... on the beach!

Have a fun holiday!  :-)

Susan

happy Easter to all my peeps!

happy St. Patrick's Day!

happy Valentine's Day!

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

"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!

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.

Christmas McCheer

Tonight it was time to enjoy our little family holiday tradition ... the 4 of us go for a drive looking at Christmas lights, Florida style -- with the sunroof open (don't hate me, but yes it's in the 70s here!). Buddy & Aruba get so excited, and Sal and I look forward to this every year! We play our favorite holiday music ... Mannheim Steamroller, John Denver & The Muppets: A Christmas Together ... while sipping on McD's holiday drinks that have too many calories, LOL. ;-)

Aruba "donned her gay apparel" ... an adorable jingle bell collar. I love to hear her jingling all around the house, it's so precious!

Hope you're enjoying all the holiday festivities this week ... happy Hanukkah & Merry Christmas!

need a holiday gift idea?

How about adopting a manatee for that special someone?

It's a perfect gift for those who have "everything" ... for those who are difficult to shop for ... to introduce a child to animal welfare and environmental stewardship ... or for those who hate the clutter of physical gifts, LOL! And it's all for such a worthy cause ... helping support the welfare and habitat of these precious (and threatened) marine creatures. It costs only $25 and supports the wonderful work of the Save The Manatee Club (SMC). Your gift recipient will get an adoption certificate, color photo and biography of his/her manatee, and routine updates about the manatees. (Adopt at the $35 level and get a FREE 2012 manatee wall calendar too!)

My adopted manatee is Lily (that's her in the banner photo above). Sadly, most manatees are identified by their distinctive scars from gashes inflicted by boat propellers. I've been her adoptive "parent" for about 17 years! She spends winters here in Florida, at Blue Spring State Park. I feel a special bond with her ... my name Susan means "lily". You can choose from several manatees available for adoption, by name and location.

Sal and I have been longtime supporters of manatee protection. We're even featured on the SMC's website!! ... I was beyond thrilled when they contacted me a few years ago for my thoughts about, and a photo of, our day spent kayaking among the manatees (this eco-activity is not disruptive to manatees and is approved and sponsored by the SMC).

On behalf of Lily ... and all manatees, thank you!

minty & bright

bff = Black Friday fun !!

So who among you was brave enough to get up in the middle of the night to snag some Black Friday deals?? I'd love to hear all about the loot you scored !

It saddens me tho to see many stores now open on Thanksgiving day ... I wish the employees could have uninterrupted time with their families, to relax and enjoy the holiday.

I slept in today ... no 3:00 AM shopping jaunts for me, no way! I did take advantage of some cyber door-busters yesterday tho. But today I made the rounds to some of my FAVE stores ... at a reasonable hour. First stop ... my local scrapbook store, Everything Scrapbook & Stamps, of course! The timing was perfect ... they just stocked a new collection that I've been waiting for: Tropical Travelogue by Graphic 45. The colors and designs are absolutely stunning (and have me craving a trip to Tahiti, LOL)!

Then I met my sweetheart Sal for lunch al fresco at The Olive Garden (yum!) before heading off to Joann Fabric & Crafts. My next stop was Pier 1 Imports to pick up this fun holiday candle that caught my eye in their BF ad (soon I'll post a pic of how I "candlescape" it --- I have what I *think* will be a cute idea!). Wow oh wow is their store filled with holiday SPARKLE ... I saw glitter & bling at every turn !! I swear I could just move into that store! And I love Pier 1's clever slogan for this year's holiday season:

The final place on my BF itinerary was Barnes & Noble ... I joined Sal there to cap-off a fun day, relaxing with a chai latte and book browsing.

Hmm, where to next? I hope to stop in another 2 of my fave stores -- Michaels and Crate & Barrel -- sometime during the weekend. Let the fun continue! :-)

Happy shopping,

so very THANKFUL for .....

My sweet & precious little family!

Celebrating Thanksgiving, Florida style ... at the beach!

Ginormous newspapers overflowing with Black Friday ads!

Sal and I couldn't schedule in a trip to be with family this holiday ... too many big research proposal deadlines next week. {sigh} But, we're making the best of a working weekend .... and took today OFF to relax (toes in sand!), and to be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mother's Day

OMG, I'm so behind on EVERYTHING ... including posting about our Mother's Day celebration, which was more than a week ago now. Lately, I just don't know how time keeps slipping away from me?!?

Anyway ... Sal and I and Buddy and Aruba spent an extended weekend with our Moms to celebrate their special day! And since I'm a "Dog Mom", even I got special treatment! My Mom made me her fabulous cocoa logs, my favorite cookies EVAH !! And Buddy & Aruba "wrote" a sweet card to me (thanks Sal, *wink*). Woof!

We treated my Mom to a dozen gourmet cookies, custom-made by Sal's cousin, who owns Susan's Decorated Sweets. They were gorgeous ... and delicious! And we all went to a park on the water to enjoy Mother's Day breakfast together and watch dolphins play.

Sal cooked his Mom a special pasta lunch (it was yummy!), and the 3 of us enjoyed it together. She's a Dog Mom too, to cute little Noel.
Hope all the Moms out there enjoyed a special day!

And now another whirlwind week begins ... including preparing for our next big adventure! Stay tuned to see Where In The World we are! I'll be posting pics taken with our new camera --- I'm finally stepping into the world of digital SLR! Just got myself a Canon Rebel XS, supposedly a great camera for SLR newbies ... I've gotta get practicing with it! Over the years, I've taken some great shots with our point-and-shoot, and even my iPhone camera, but I'm excited at the new possibilities, and taking my photography to the next level.

Have a great week ahead,

happy St. Patrick's Day!

May you live as long as you want,
And never want as long as you live.
----Irish blessing

Have a LUCKY day! :-)