Today is my birthday......

Today, April 30th 2016, is my 53rd birthday, but it's not a day of celebration for me. I love and thank all my friends for their birthday wishes, but with every one I see, I am quickly reminded that my sister will never celebrate another one. She passed away from cancer on March 10, 2016, the day after her 51st birthday. I realize that she is no longer suffering and is reunited with Mom and Dad, but I still can't find reason to celebrate my birthday. It seems so unfair for me to celebrate, when she's not here. I know I should be thankful that she is no longer in pain, and I am, but I can't reconcile what I know in my head with what I am feeling in my heart and body.

Since her diagnosis on August 17, 2015, I have not felt right in my body. I attribute it to stress and uncertainty about the future. Nothing makes you question your own mortality as the sudden illness and death of someone younger than you; especially if it is your sibling.

I now question whether or not I am suffering from depression. I will be seeking professional help to assist me in determining what is going on, and how best to help me get better.

I am thankful everyday for my family and friends who constantly stand by me and give the love and support on a daily basis.

Missing my Sister

Today is April 23, 2016, one week before my birthday, and one month and two weeks since I lost my sister, DeAnna, to cancer. Each day is getting a little better, but I still find some days when it is all I can do to get out of bed. I have times when i just can't figure out what's going on with me. I'll have pains in my heart, in my chest and in my stomach; I just don't know what's going on. I can't believe she's gone......I can't call her, can't remember the good times, only remember the bad shape she was in and how she was so uncomfortable and sick. What I do try to remember are the times when we had little chats while she was in bed; when i rubbed her legs and feet and gave her a little pedicure with the rolling machine. I remember how she needed me to put on the tape over the port in her stomach after we drained the fluid. I didn't mind doing any of it, I did it because I love her and I did it willingly. I remember when she had an upset stomach and did not make it to the bathroom. I got on my hands and knees and was cleaning the carpet - which is something nobody would have to ask me to do...I did it because I love her. She started crying because I was doing it, and I started crying because she was crying. I told her, "where else would I be, and what would I be doing?" I love her and everything I do/did was out of that love. She would do the same things for me, I know. I wish I had my sister back If she were here, we would do more things together; I would spend more time with her and the family. I would visit more often, and we would just sit and talk. Wonder why you never just sit and talk with the people that you love? I'll tell you why, because we think they will always be there and we'll have time to do it later. Guess what, there is no guarantee of this. Take the time with the people that you love.

Cruise Pictures

Ahhhhh! What a wonderful time we had on the cruise! The weather was absolutely beautiful and we had a great time going to all the different islands; hitting the beaches, going to the rain forest on Dominica and touring around Bonaire and Aruba as well as snorkeling with the Green Sea Turtles in St. Thomas. Champagne, daiquiris and piña coladas, my oh my! LOL
If you have never been on a cruise you must go!



Click here to see pictures from the cruise. Enjoy!

DeWayne

Decision!

Well friends, the decision has been made. My friend Jose and I will be traveling on Princess Cruise Lines out of San Juan, Puerto Rico on April 24th aboard the Caribbean Princess for a 7night tour of the Southern Caribbean. Click here for the itinerary. I am so excited as we were able to get a great price for a balcony and I am already thinking of Mimosas in the morning and Mojitos in the late afternoon :)

I have been shopping every weekend and I have decided that this is the weekend to lay out everything I bought, and start returning the overage of items I purchased. You would freak out if I told you that I spent more on clothes than I paid for the cruise...oops, I just did!

Which Cruise Ship?

The Celebrity Solstice



The Caribbean Princess

So, a friend and I are seriously planning a 7 night Southern Caribbean cruise for our birthdays which are only a day apart. The only issue now is which cruise line - Celebrity or Princess?

Tribute to A Friend

I just found out today that a friend of mine from work passed away on Friday. While we did not work in the same office, we worked closely on some projects, and he was just a really neat guy. AJ was one of that kind of person you could just pick up where you left off from one time to the next. He had a sneaky grin on him, and you could see the mischievousness in his eyes. I can remember sitting in his office, just shooting the breeze and hearing him say, "riiiiiiite?" I cannot imagine what AJ's partner, Ray is going through at this time, but I hope the fact that AJ was liked by so many people is some small comfort to him. The following is for my friend. I am sorry I did not get to say goodbye, but thank you so much for the good times and friendship....

In those quiet moments in the still of the night
Remember to rejoice and celebrate life
Do not think of me gone and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow
I am the sunlight on the grain
I am the gentle autumn's rain
When you awaken in the morning hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in flight
I am the soft stars that shine
You will hear my gentle voice
and remember to rejoice
Never give up your fight
and remember always
to Celebrate Life.... ---- Author Unknown

Christmas Trip to Munich

I took my first official visit to Germany at the beginning of December. I went to Munich (München) for a few days to see the Christmas Markets. I flew over from New York (JFK) on Lufthansa on a Airbus A340 aircraft. It was the first time I had ever been on that aircraft. It is huge! While it's not the largest capacity aircraft on the market, it certainly is the longest and one of the most impressive in-flight.

The flight from JFK was an overnighter. The weather was horrible the day I was scheduled to leave (the inbound flight diverted to Philadelphia!). Thankfully, the weather cleared around 4pm so my 6ish departure was only delayed a short time. Germany is 7 hours ahead of us so between the overnight flight and the time difference, I arrived in Munich at 8:30am December 2nd. Notice I didn't say, "bright-eyed and bushy tailed?" I think I may have gotten a total of 2 hours sleep. But that's okay, being the aviation geek I am, I had plenty to occupy my time; not to mention the tons of movies Lufthansa offers via their onboard entertainment system. Oh yeah, I finally did get to see Salt with Angelina Jolie. It was a great movie!

So after I cleared Customs and Immigration in Germany, I went in search of their transit system. They have a transit station right at the airport and there are two lines on the Bahn; the S and the U. My hotel was on the S line; so I paid my fare ($12.00 US) and was on my way.

Since I made my plans rather "last minute" my hotel was sat about halfway between the airport and downtown Munich (a distance of about 25 miles). This was nice, because I didn't have that far to go in either direction...about 4-5 stops either way! I stayed at the European version of the Radisson - called the Park Inn. Here's a picture of my hotel.

In case you were wondering, it was a short walk from the train station to the hotel...here's what the walk looked like..I didn't mind it at all.

Once I got to the hotel, of course, no rooms were available yet, so I relaxed in the lobby, logged on to my iPad, and surfed the net and updated my Facebook profile. It was only a short time before my room was ready and I checked in. By this time I was so exhausted, I laid down and took a 4 hour nap. I woke up around 5pm and took the train into Munich to explore a little bit and to grab a bite to eat. This being only my second time in Germany (the first time, I was on a layover when I worked for Northwest and we were in Mainz). I didn't realize the different geographical regions that comprise Germany, so just because I was in Bavaria this time, I thought the food would be the same...um, no. Luckily, I found a restaurant that served my favorite - wiener schnitzel...and boy, do they serve you a lot of it - take a look!

So, after dinner it was a little stroll around the Marienplatz and a look at one of the Christmas Markets and some Gluehwein.

I met up with work friends who came in from earlier stops in Cologne and Berlin to visit the Christmas Markets there. They agreed that the best markets were in Munich. So after dinner at the Hofbräuhaus it was off to more of the Christmas Markets.

Oh yeah, how could I fail to mention how cold it was in Munich? They had some freaky cold and snowy weather before I arrived. The snow had stopped, it was still all over the place, but the cold had settled in and I don't think it got above 20 degrees the entire time I was there! The cold, mixed with the wind and all that frozen ice and snow.....brrrrrr!!!!

Here are some pictures we took in and around the Marienplatz....

But, regardless of how much fun you have, it's always nice to come back home. I will definately be returning to Munich.