Excited About Christmas

Christmas is only three weeks away, and I am making an effort to get into the spirit earlier than usual. We always put the tree up the day after Thanksgiving, so I did that despite misgivings over the "help" of my kittens. Maggie watched from the upper branches and Smokey supervised from below. Tiger couldn't sit still, so he rearranged the branches for me. Kitty is too mature to get involved with decorating the tree, and simply waited for me to finish so she could grab a candy cane. The guy in the picture above this is Tiger. Maggie is below. Apparently the flash bothered her; I couldn't get her to keep her eyes open for a picture. Oh, well, she's still cute.

I've started my shopping already. So far it's been easy since my daughter simply wants money, and my oldest son has given me a short list. My husband found something he wants on Ebay, but didn't bookmark it or save it in the My Ebay section. It shouldn't be hard to find, though, and that just leaves my second son with nothing. He usually comes up with a list at the last minute, so I'm not worried about what to get him yet.

The one I usually have trouble choosing a gift for is my mother. She is 88, and needs nothing. She gets clothes, knickknacks, and candy for every occasion. This time I found something I think she will really like: a digital picture frame. It holds up to 2,000 pictures, and I have about 75 that she will enjoy already on my computer. I'm in the process of sorting through boxes of photos to scan, and hope to fill the whole thing up before Christmas. Of course, I probably won't accomplish much else, but I'm having fun.

I may be too busy looking at photos to update the blog, so I will say "Happy Holidays" now.

Vacation Memories

One of my favorite places to go for a family vacation is Orlando, Fl. Here is a collage of some of the memories we made during one of our trips. (You can enlarge the picture by double-clicking on it.) We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel, which I highly recommend for its convenient location. I didn't think it was as beautiful as the Royal Pacific, which we stayed at during the previous trip, but the kids liked this one better.

We walked to the Universal Studios and Islands of Adventures parks from the Hard Rock, and it was close enough we could each come and go whenever we pleased. The Royal Pacific was also within walking distance for those with enough energy, but usually I took the boat from there.

I love the parks, and enjoy most of the rides, but the scenery is what makes it a vacation paradise for me. Staying at the hotels owned by the parks is a little more expensive, but well worth it since it gives you additional perks like access to the express lines and other bonus features. The year we stayed off-site was the least enjoyable as the rooms were not as nice, and the transportation was not convenient.

Welcome to Carol's Place

I plan to use this blog to talk about things I enjoy. There will be a variety of topics, beginning with a few vacation memories. I may be doing some book reviews, too, so if you have a book to recommend, please add it to the comments section.

Thanks for stopping in.

Carol