Day 4: Shipwrecks, president's & sunshine

It's Saturday and it's our last full day in KW. Our plan is to tour the " Little White House". It was a two residences on the naval air station that was renovated and used as a vacation home while Truman was president.


I was able to take lots of pictures on the grounds and two rooms inside, but we were unable to take them inside. Rene, our tour guide, was an interesting informative fellow, who was all of five fee and probably 80 pounds. The home had of it's original furniture and because of hundreds of photographs taken by the Navy, they know the actual furniture placement.

After this tour, we were walking around and decided to tour the Mel Fisher Treasure museum. It was a self-guided tour and I didn't find it quite as interesting, but I was able to take pictures.


I finished the afternoon sitting in the sun reading. Our pool is on the second floor roof and was quite crowded, so I wasn't very close to the pool and I never got in it. The temperature has been hovering in the low 80s, which is quite nice!!

We fly out tomorrow and I guess I'm ready. I have lots to do (take down Christmas decorations) and I'm looking forward to working out and enjoying some days off before I have to back to work on Jan. 7th!,,,



Happy New Year!

Day 3: Bahia, butterflies & Mallory Square

I'm post this on Saturday, but this is actually Friday's events.

1. We got the car out and drove to Bahia Honda state park.


2. We stopped at a highly recommended diner type restaurant. We both got the catch of the day: mahi mahi. I even got it fried !!! Can you say yum?
( secret ingredient in the cole slaw: mango)

3. We set out to find the Butterfly Conservatory and we basically walked the length of the key twice! (My ankles are hurting today!) We loved it and it was WELL WORTH the walk.

4. We saw the famous landmark (the southern most point) and got a pedi-cab because we were tired of walking.

5. We ended up at Mallory Square, which is a show in and of itself. (Lots of jugglers and such) We watched and English guy perform a hilarious card/magic act. We did some window shopping back to our hotel.

6. We are staying at La Concha Plaza, which is tHe tallest building here. We are right on Duvall Street in the middle Of everything and it has been awesome. We ended the evening enjoying the breeze and the full moon on one of the roof terraces.

Day 2 Key West many toed cats & sunset dining

Well, today I wanted to find a Zumba class, but it was canceled. There was an evening class, but alas , we had dinner reservations.


We found a place to eat called Hammocks. It was good, but. Overpriced for sandwiches.



We went back to our hotel and decided we'd go to the Hemingway house. It was less than a mile from our hotel and we had a nice walk there. We had a wait to get in, but once we were in it was crowded, but not unreasonable. We went with a tour guide named Nick.


I had just recently read a book based on hemingway's life with his first wife, so that made this tour even more interesting. (The Paris Wife) He lived in Key West with his second wife, who was his first wife's good friend. (You can read between the lines!)

We ended the night with dinner at sunset at Latitudes. We had to take a boat over to a private island that Westin Resort owns. The food was amazing and the atmosphere was even better. Hopefully the pictures will speak for themselves!

Pictures: Sights around KW. Pictures from Ernest Hemingway's house, including the swimming pool that cost $20,000 in 1920s when the house only cost $8000. Also, a picture of a penny in the concrete that is reportedly H's "last red cent". The pictures end at Latitudes where we had our dinner at sunset.

Key west, day 1, we dodged the snow bullet and I'm not sad .......

Well, my last day of school was Fridays. I really can't believe that we've already had Christmas!! I feel like I was working just yesterday!!! My Christmas was great!, we traveled to Murray twice in two days. My family is smaller now, but Christmas was super- sized! Nick and I planned this trip way back in October!! There's really am advantage to having a husband who travels for work!!!


Our day began around 3:30, so we are kind of tired right now,but here's some pictures from today.


I'm trying out Blogger on my new IPad . I'm trying to figure out how it works. We had a very late lunch at Hog's Breath Saloon. It had great atmosphere and the food was fine.

I've also found several Zumba classes. We'll see if I go. I always like checking out the flavor of different Zumba instructors.

You were made for so much more!!!!

Here's a picture of me with my son in Honduras.  It's funny when I'm there, I totally eat what I want and I usually come back and have either lost weight or haven't gained.  I think it's because we are focused on God and others!!

 

 

 

 

Food tastes good!!! We all have an appetite, I get it!!  Food is fuel for our body and we need it to make all our body functions work.  All of this is true!!! 

 

 But, why have so many of us feasted continually to prepare for the famine???? If you look around, you see the evidence everywhere! First of all, we don’t have famines in America in our life time!!

 

 

 

Do you ever turn to food when your upset and you need comfort???

 

 

 

Do you ever go out to special meal to celebrate or reward yourself for a job well done!!

 

 

 

 

 Do you turn to food when you’re happy, sad, stressed or sad??  Don’t feel bad, we all have, but is that what food is made for????  I don’t think so!  God didn’t make us that way!!!  I contend that we should turn to God instead of self-medicating with food.

 

 

 

 

One time I was so hungry, I gave my sister my inheritance for a pot of stew she was cooking.  HEY WAIT!!  I don’t have a sister!!  You’re right, but does this story sound familiar??? Esau gave up his birthright to Jacob for a pot of stew.  It’s obvious in this story that food can be a powerful temptation like other “Big Sins”. 

 

 

 

 

I contend that as many people are destroying their health and body with the addition of food, as people are with drugs and alcohol!! (This is me speaking, not the author of Made to Crave .)

 

 

 

 

We often have scripts running in our head…..whether it’s negative self-talk, rationalizations or excuses….

“You can’t do this!”

“I’ll start tomorrow.”

“Just one won’t matter.”

 

“You’re such a loser!  How many times have you tried this and failed??”

 

 

Lysa, the author said for years she identified herself not by her relationship with God, but by the circumstances in her life. (Child from a broken home, rejected by her father, abused by a grandfather figure, etc.)

 

She realized that she needed to embrace her true identity instead of listening to those negative scripts and labels in her head. (Forgiven, set-free, accepted, holy child, made-new, loved, confident, victorious child of God.)

 

 

If you are following along in the book with me, you may realize that I’m jumping all around. I’m writing as things inspire me.  Here’s a summary of what Lysa recommends so far:

1. Have a plan.

2. Pray, pray, pray (daily, when you crave, when you need strength, when you would normally turn to food turn to Him.)

3.  Have an accountability partner.

 

 

4.  This is big: RECOGNIZE THAT YOU WERE MADE FOR MORE THAN THIS!!!! Embrace your true identity as a child of God with a Glorious Father, who has ALL POWER!!

5.  Find a deeper reason for this journey. (Not to just wear a size (fill in the blank), but to get to know Him better!

 

 

 

 

 

 

God made us for so much more!!!!