Fruit of the Land

Having a large backyard and not using it is truly a waste. That is why Larry and I decided to do an organic produce garden this year. He conferred with his mother as to the best location for said garden and which way the furrows would have to run so as to ensure that the water didn't just run out of the garden with regard to the slope of the land. Once we had the lay of the land (pun totally intended) figured and what we were going to plant we set a date and went to Home Depot to rent a tiller for two hours.

I watched as Larry jammed to some tunes and tilled the land. After the tilling came the raking. Here I struggled a little because I am prone to perfectionism so it took me ages to get a piece done. Later my back and hands ached from the exertion. Gosh, it's just embarrassing to be that unfit! I prevailed - until, that is, Larry's mom showed up and showed me how it was done. She would know as she used to own her own Plant Nursery and gardening is part of her DNA make-up at this point.

Larry spent a day hoeing. This made me think of a line in a King of the Hill episode where Peggy and Hank are at a garden store and Hank enthusiastically admires a hoe to which Peggy rhetorically replies, "Why are men so attracted to hoes?" We now actually own a hoe. . .

And, the land rested - just long enough for us to see if any unwanted remnants were still lying dormant in the soil in which case we would have to start the raking and hoeing again.

Planting! Well, here I can tell you that the fun began. We were able to purchase quite many - if not all - of our plants through Larry's mom who also helped us plant some. Larry bought pea fencing, a sprinkler and a hose and set those up for us. Larry's mom brought over some chicken poop and some vermiculite and so all the plants were installed in the right place with the right fertiliser.

We planted snow peas and sugar snap peas along the fence. A row over we scattered some lettuce seed which proceeded to blow everywhere during some rain thereafter, so we decided to plant lettuce plants instead. We have carrots, radishes, garlic, onion, squash, zucchini, patty pans, green beans, eggplants, cucumbers, cubanelles, cherry tomatoes, yellow cherry tomatoes, vine-ripe tomatoes, and Big Boy tomatoes (as far as I can remember).

The growth period is quite exciting because you can walk past the rows and either see little green shoots reaching up out of the soil or you can notice visible increase in size in the starter plants. The lettuce went wild. We were handing it out faster than we could pick any more. And, the leaves would last and last!

Not too long after the initial growth stage we started noticing stray Bib lettuce growing in the trenches. The seed didn't wash or blow away as far as we had hoped.

Of course, although the setup and planting is strenuous, the maintenance is a lot of diligent work. The setup also took place during very early spring when the weather was lovely and cool. Most of the maintenance is taking place in what is not officially even summer yet and we are drowning in the humidity.

I have not been able to go outside and help as much as I have wanted to as I am quite allergic to bug bites - especially mosquito bites which form welts on my skin. I know, I know, "you should spray bug spray, silly", but, you underestimate these mosquitoes. They find unsprayed skin - like my earlobe or the back of my scalp or maybe even the tip of my toe. They have a keen sense of smell. However, someone has kindly given my Avon's Skin-So-Soft bath oil that I can use. Apparently mozzies hate that stuff. I'll have to give it a try.

My biggest joy about this garden is actually Larry's enthusiasm. If he seems nowhere to be found, he is sure to be in his garden. He has even purchased some Crocs for gardening purposes (only, ugly things) so that he doesn't ruin his regular shoes or flip flops. He waters conscientiously, weeds and checks for bugs. Almost daily after work you will see him outside with an orange tub picking the produce. We have had so many green beans and cucumbers that it's almost ridiculous. Also, the tomatoes have been bountiful. Our biggest pest being the squirrels picking the tomatoes for themselves. They are just fortunate that Larry hasn't caught them yet.

Now we have pulled up the lettuce as it has become too hot for them to thrive any longer. Larry decided to plant okra. I'm not fond of okra but him and his family are so they can share it.

Larry and I commented on the fact that we hardly buy food anymore seeing as we pick so many things in our backyard to eat. It is one of the most rewarding investments ever!

New Splash Pool

Larry and I used to have just a little five-gallon tank with two little goldfish. Our first couple was Laurel and Hardy. Soon after acquisition, Hardy had a hardy-tack and left us. Laurel got a friend we named Sweet Lips because of his orange-stained lips that made him look as though he had quite the "kisser".

Last month our cute little Laurel died of what we now believe is Ich (Ichthyophthirius multifilis) or White Spot which is quite a nasty parasite. To keep Sweet Lips company we got another goldfish, Splotchy.

Then, to our surprise, Larry's dad got a hold of a gorgeous 29-gallon tank. Clearly we were going to need more decorations and, of course, more fish! Along came Sheila - a Shusui koi, and Convict - a Redcap Oranda. To all of you in South Africa, he is also known as Primi.

After a few weeks it became clear to us that we would need an algae-eater to keep the slime away. Enter Dwight. To those of you who have watched The Office would know that Dwight Schrute is a suck-up. Sucking fish, suck up character. We thought it was appropriate. He is nocturnal so when we do see him it's hard to get a picture of him. Thus, excuse the blurry photo.

Sweet Lips is the proverbial "bull in a china shop" as it is evident that he is not aware of his large size. Since being moved into the larger tank he has taken to swimming laps backwards and forward in the front of the tank - at times swimming into the sides. Silly fish! He is also a bit cowardly. Ironic, isn't it, that the biggest fish in the tank is also the most afraid?


Splotchy is the Public Relations fish. He is a brave little fishy that swims where no fish dared swim before! He doesn't let any animosity settle in the tank. When he joined Sweet Lips initially he stuck to him like glue and to this day they are almost always together. And, when Sheila and Convict/Primi joined the clan he swam over and started socialising before Sweet Lips dared to make a move.

Sheila, having that blue shadow above her eye and the blue watercolour like smudge across the top of her body, is according to us a girl. She plays it cool and was for a time there quite fond of Sweet Lips but she has since moved on like an independent woman and now needs no one.

Convict/Primi is a cutie. His little pot-belly and large tail fins cause him to swim a little slowly. So, when the other fish are doing laps across the front of the tank and gliding around in the current caused by the filter, he tries to keep up. But, as soon as he manages to wiggle to the halfway mark, the others are already coming back from their first lap. At times the current pushes him around and pushes him down into the log or sideways. Larry points out that it almost looks like he struggles to keep control of himself.

The log is the favourite hangout in the tank. Every time we change siphon out some water they screech into the log - all freaked out. Most of the time Dwight likes to be in the log but it looks like he is getting hungrier because we are seeing him in the daytime with the light on more often. Poor thing, he isn't really pretty but he was the prettiest of the bunch - if that is any indication.

All in all, our new tank adds a peacefulness to the lounge and hours of entertainment for us. Some nights we will leave only the fish tank light on and sit in peace and quiet and just listen to the water filtering through the pump trickling softly into the tank and watch the fish swim, dive, get pummeled by the current (Convict) or cringe as they confuse poop for pellets and spit them out.

Bit of a cold snap?!

We've had a bit of a chilly winter. Some here would say that said statement is a tad understated. I'm not sure if we are just extra sensitive to the cold seeing as we live in Florida and we are used to warmer weather in general or weather. And, yet, Florida is the Snowbird destination. People from up North come here to escape the harsh winter back home.

If it's this cold here - I don't want to know what it's like up North. EEK!

These pictures were taken at Larry's dad's Plant Nursery. He has a gorgeous water feature at the back of the property and this is how cold it is here - in Paradise nogal!

Keeping up with the new decade

I had a vague idea when this year started that life was going to change. A new game with new rules. I thought that this year had potential. Alas, dreaming is the easy part. Once opportunities start flying at you and strategies start to take form in your mind you are pretty much guaranteed to have your hands full. It's almost like a hamster/wheel factory between my ears!

This year we decided to actually take action to all the things we have always wanted to do. One of those being a vegetable garden. Larry's mom is masterful at this and jumped at the opportunity to dig in "new dirt" since her yard was too full of plants for a vegetable garden. We have so much space there is no point in hogging it. So far we have peas, radishes, lettuce, onions, garlic, cucumber, yellow squash, eggplant, tomato and I'm sure I'm forgetting some.

If that is not exciting enough, we got excellent news on Friday. Larry was promoted to Banquet Manager! I have the utmost faith in him to excel in this position. Even though I am ridiculously biased, I have to say that he is one of the most hardest working individuals I have come across with excellent work ethic and charm that will melt any heart of ice. One of the perks for him in this position is that he started at that hotel in the Banquets Department as a steward and worked his way up to where he is now. He has worked in nearly all the positions that his employees are in so he is fully aware of what it entails. I have found that a boss who knows where you are coming from is bound to be a very fair and just boss. Not always a fun and easy-going boss, but definitely a good one. A boss who knows where you are coming from also knows that you are capable of more and will always try to better you in your position which benefits the department as a whole. Everyone wins!

My life has been no less hectic although I have enjoyed my busyness. Ever since I published my book in November Larry and I have done a little bit of word-of-mouth marketing to those that we know and soon we had people asking how they could get a hold of the book. It wasn't long before I thought that we could buy books in bulk and sell them ourselves, cutting out the middle man and offering "free shipping". He has done a fantastic job at getting women at the hotel to buy the book and I've recruited some friends in South Africa and one in Germany to buy the book so that officially puts me in the international market, I would say.

However, I must admit that it is a little nerve-wrecking to do the international distribution yourself. There is the shipping that is quite costly and slow to boot, the arrangement of how to get paid and ensuring that the people actually did get the book. I am learning a great deal of patience and protocol. Soon it will all be old hat.

At church I was asked to assist in the compilation of an outline for a Children's Curriculum for next term as well as for Bible School in the summer about the 7 Mountain Strategy. We want to equip the next generation to be able to succeed with the kingdom of Heaven principles in all cultural spheres of society: Religion, Family, Education, Government, Media, Arts, Entertainment & Sports, and Business.

We really are having a great time this year. It is exciting to be a part of change and to know that it won't be just another year. This is a new decade and time to do things differently.

Back to life, back to reality

We spent our New Year's Eve crossing time lines from South Africa to the US. Our South African Airways flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg departed at around 1 pm. We said goodbye to my family in style by having bites to eat at Ocean Basket - Larry just had to squeeze in some Kingklip and prawns before we left. Hey, what can I say? The boy evidently has his priorities straight!

Our layover in Johannesburg was about 8 hours. My best friend from High School and her husband met us shortly after we landed and took us to Emperor's Palace (the former Caesar's Palace) next to O. R. Tambo International. We moseyed around there for a while and ate a little at News Cafe. It's always fun catching up with friends.

At around 7 pm we headed back to the airport to get the arduous security checks out of the way. Just when you thought they were through checking your passport you would enter another checkpoint. And then another. Ad nauseum. Then came the body search - always a pleasure. They luckily separated men and women for this.

There is no way to get around it; 17 hours is a long time to be in the air. I'm so thankful we were on the new Delta 777 planes that have the interactive TV screens behind each seat and oodles of movies to occupy my time with. I even slept 6 hours!

And still, nothing can prepare you for the pure nastiness of your body after that long a flight. You smell like drool and airplane seats and blankets. I don't even want to talk about what happens in your mouth. "Did I eat the blanket before we landed?"

The airport/immigration staff all seemed a little more jovial than usual due to the fact that it was New Year's Day - a good day to catch them with a sense of humour!

We finally returned to Pensacola to some absolutely dreadful weather. It has been quite Arctic. Here in Pensacola we usually get cold at 45ºF/ 7ºC. Now we're entertaining temperatures like 32ºF/0ºC and 27ºF/-3ºC. I've begun to think 45ºF/ 7ºC is warm. Quite sad!

Other than freezing our patooties off, we've been adjusting to work again. It has been quite a task. The first day breezed by because of the large workload but the rest of the week so far has been quite slow and boring. I suppose I'm not used to keeping myself occupied lately as our time in South Africa was chock-and-block with activities. There wasn't much time for lazing around.

Come on Friday!!!! Then again, I'm not too thrilled about the weekend because we are supposed to have highs of around 15ºF/ -9ºC. We're just not geared for this kind of weather. That, and we were completely spoiled in South Africa with gorgeous weather every day. Beautiful sunshine and highs of 77ºF/ 25ºC. This is not helping me with homesickness.

But, I supposed all good things must come to and end. Actually, no! I want to know why. Why do all good things have to come to an end and and all the rubbish lingers?

So, now that I've let you know how sorry I am for myself, life is great and I'm glad that this is a new decade for a new game plan.

Strandloper

Today is Reconciliation Day in South Africa. We joined the throngs on the road and headed towards the West Coast as we had a reservation at Die Strandloper in Langebaan for noon for eight people. It's a good thing we brought our appetites!

The premise of the restaurant is a rustic beach-front experience. You pull up in a sandlot, walk along sand to a space enclosed and roofed with fishing nets (those hardcore green ones). A sign, "Djy is welkom" greets you and you are shown to your table. Ours was the first next to the door. The "floor" of the restaurant is beach sand. The table is a cement structure with pieces of tile in it and the benches are out of wooden planks. Truly rustic. Outside the net is one of the most beautiful views - the ocean.

We arrived right at noon with our own wine and sparkling wine; which you are advised to do by the restaurant. There are no waiters and there is no corkage fee.

This is from the website:
The Menu

This is a party place… we can assure you of a great time on the beach, in the sun. Please book as far ahead as you can! Bookings are essential! Children (under 12) pay according to height – Adults currently R190.00 p/p Please be advised that we do not have credit card facilities. Bokkoms Mussels in wine and onions Mussels with garlic butter Weskus Haarders Seafood Paella Braaied Snoek with potatoes and patats Waterbloemmetjie Bredie Smoked Angelfish Stompneus Kreef Moerkoffie Roosterkoek, fresh bread, farm butter and home made jams NOTES FOR GROUPS Without exception groups, corporate functions, parties, birthdays and weddings ALL have a brilliant time at “Die Strandloper”. A little pre-planning makes the function run smoother… * It is essential that the group are fully briefed as to what to expect. * This is a casual, informal and relaxed seafood restaurant * Informal beachwear is the order of the day – no high heels!! *We are right on the beach – just one hour away from Cape Town * Lunch or Dinner will take at least 3 to 4hours – or longer!! * Eat as much as you like from mussels to crayfish (half a kreef p.p.) – there are about 10 courses * Coming by coach? Have a glass of champers and orange on the way – it’s a great relaxer!! * Do you play a musical instrument? Bring it along! * Want to play games on the beach? Bring your equipment! * Plan to arrive at 12pm (lunch) or 6pm (dinner) *If bringing your own wine or beer, allow at least a litre or six pack per person – it seems to evaporate in the heat ….!! And don’t forget the ice to keep it cool! · And finally, parties of 15+ need to pay a R1000 deposit to secure the booking, before it is confirmed · EXPECT TO ENJOY YOUR DAY

You sit down and have drink. When the first course is ready you are called to come and get it. Paper plates and mussel shells are your crockery and cutlery. Hey, it said it's rustic!

In between courses you can leave the table and go and swim or play in the water or just relax on a rock as Larry did. It is just laid back. Which brings me to the "facilities" or "rustic toilets" as they refer to them there. Portalets. They are arranged in a courtyard - urinals and ladies separate. In the center is a rock formation with Dettol handsoap and a tap. Paper towels hang from a tree.

The waterblommetjie bredie - for those that don't know - is made with the most juicy and tender lamb and the actual petals from water lilies. Divine!

We all came home and crashed. It's been quiet since. I think we're all recovering still. Ek het lanklaas so lekker geeet!

New Book Published

It has taken years of on and off inspiration, hard work, perspiration and plenty of help from my secret editing committee without whose help and encouragement I would not have come nearly as far. But most of all, I would never have been able to attempt this amazing task were it not for God giving me the talent of writing. He has allowed me to use it as my own therapy and now I even have the opportunity to make money off my therapy.

I must honestly say that feel sorry for other writers or even artists of any kind for that matter. I don't know how they deal with the feeling of incompleteness. Do they ever feel like the product is perfect? If they do I would love to know how they do it!

However, incompleteness and doubts aside, I bit the proverbial bullet and decided on a cover design so that I could publish at last. I decided against the conventional way of publishing - now, now one that knows me should be surprised here! Instead, I chose to use Lulu.com who allows you to self-publish. It is a print-on-demand facility and they also allow you to publish eBooks.

This is the description from my storefront website:

The aftermath of a car accident irreversibly changes the lives of three families after secrets of the past are revealed. Not only does this event change the lives of those directly affected, but reverberates further into causing the characters to inexplicably change the way they see themselves.

And this is the Authors Note:

There is a Crystal and Adrianne in each of us; the over-controlling and the carefree - sometimes reckless - sides of our personalities. I am not unique in this. We all struggle to balance the scale between strangling the life out of ourselves and throwing all caution to the win. Neither extreme is beneficial. We must strive for that perfect balance to live life to the full.

This book has been my journey to wholeness. I discovered both characters in myself. I have lived on the Adrianne-side and I have paid the price. Living only for the moment has its consequences - and frequently we are grossly unprepared for them.

As I faced many responsibilities and aimed to rectify my past mistakes I unearthed Crystal. She was helpful in disciplining me, but she also didn't know when to stop. She didn't know when to drive over the bridge and observe the similarities between bunches of broccoli and treetops from a distance. Nor could she appreciate the cotton-ball clouds stuck to a clear-blue summer sky. She stood like a pruner ready to snip off anything that did not conform to the plan. And, yet, it is her that keeps me from reverting back to my discarded past.

I have purposed that my life would be balanced. I want to live everyday as if it is my last but not be surprised when it isn't. If there is a way to be prepared while having the party of a lifetime, I want it!

As you discover yourself in the myriad of characters portrayed in this novel, I hope that you will take something away with you. I hope you will learn when to wean and when to nurture your character qualities.

Some of you might have picked up that I am using my maiden name for this book. There is a very simply explanation: Larry thinks it sounds more like a writer's name than Cara Morris. So, Cara Young it is. Almost like having a split personality...

It is an incredible high that comes from completing something of this magnitude. Of course, there will be weeks and months of excited ramblings, big smiles and celebrations - I think my husband has been the most excited about me accomplishing this minor feat. And, after all the hullabaloo is a thing of the past (so 2009) I'm sure I'll be asked the question, "what next?", which will invariably result in me trying my hand at some more pieces that might or might not develop into novels.

Larry has been extremely supportive throughout the process and helped me with pricing. So, if you think the price is ridiculous it's his fault. No, not really. But, there are printing costs involved and I'd prefer to make some sort of profit than none. If not, why not?

I might never be a Shakespeare or anyone of note, but I will never forgive myself for not using this outlet to grow. And, hey, things can only get better from here onwards!

The book is available at my storefront website, http://stores.lulu.com/carayoung. There you will see that I have the paperback available for $19.99 and the eBook (available for immediate download) for $12.99.

Hopefully soon I will be able to purchase the Global Reach Package from Lulu so that I can sell it at not only Amazon.com but also at Amazon.uk or stores like Barnes & Noble.

This might not be the best thing ever written but I can say that I have had the time of my life so far.

Speaking of having the time of your life, Larry and I are going to Cape Town, South Africa, for Christmas this year so for three weeks I'll be living it up in my second summer for 2009. We will be leaving on New Year's Eve - we can celebrate across the time lines (I wonder how many we'll cross). I'm positive that I'll have bunches of pictures when I get back. So, watch this space!

The Voges Girls

To many family is something they try to escape from, but our family has always been quite close. Some of my fondest memories are from time spent with my family. So, it should not be surprising that I was very excited when not only my mother, but also my cousin came to visit me!

They were here for two weeks and in that time we had a blast. Once again, I will put only a few pictures on here. The rest of the pictures are on Facebook for all of you who are my friends there. It's taking me some time to post all of the pictures because the website is giving me fits. So, bear with me.

The first Saturday of their trip we made an excursion to Destin but all the public beach parking spots were filled so we paid $10 and went to the lovely National Park and swam in the most beautiful water I've ever seen! Warm and clean.

On Sunday our highlight was having drunken chicken with Larry's Dad and family. Monday we decided to stop at the Resort for buffet breakfast, which is the best in the area, before heading out to Fairhope and Malbus for the rest of the day of shopping. By that evening we were pooped and very happy to be home.

Tuesday I had to work (the only day that week so I'm not complaining) to make sure everything was ready for payroll that Friday since we were going to New Orleans for the next three days. On Wednesday, after a delectable Southern breakfast at Cracker Barrel, we we drove through to New Orleans.

Our first stop in NOLA was the Visitors Bureau for some transportation tickets. We could carry cash with us but digging out exact change every time you want to board a street car (for which you need exactly $1.25, no more, no less) but a card is so much easier. The pass we bought is $12 per person and valid for 3 days. Granted we didn't use all of the money, but it was worth having the convenience.

Our first sight-seeing took place in the French Quarter - after all, what else would one really go to New Orleans for? It didn't disappoint. The beautiful structures, brookie lace, wet-hot humidity, and that lovely sour beer/ urine aroma that makes you breathe a little slower.

All jokes aside, it was a wonderful experience. The first day I was stung by a bee and apparently handled it like the superhero I am. Thank God I am not allergic! For dinner we visited Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro across the road to which we had a coupon for free cheesecake with the purchase of two entrees. It also happened to be the birthday of my uncle (Lynn's father). We celebrated for him by having two of his favourites: Jack Daniels and some cheesecake. We think he feels honoured. Maybe a little jealous, but at least honoured.

The second day we were drenched by rain doing the pedestrian thing on our way to Cafe du Monde in the French Quarter for delectable bad-for-you beignets and cafe au lait. Afterwards we wandered around a little more before heading over to Vacherie to visit the St. Joseph Plantation, which is still a functioning sugar cane plantation.

The going rate for a plantation tour is $15.00 per person. The tour began with a video on how sugar cane is made. We were all quite surprised to learn that brown sugar is no more "healthy" than white sugar. It is simply one process of refinement less and is brown because of the molasses left in it. Funny how we will run with ideas...

After the video we were taken on a tour of the house which is not as "big" as I thought it would be and the number of bedrooms quite few. The bottom level of the house which is now the gift shop and a display area used to open, and was later enclosed for storage and then as two families lived in the same house - each with 16 children or something to that effect - the bottom level was closed off for more room. I'd say!

That evening - being our last - we decided to eat at the famous chef of the area, Emeril Lagasse's restaurant called Delmonico's. We even made a reservation. However, the street car decided to take it's time and we were close to missing our reservation so we decided to hop across the street to Houston's. It didn't disappoint. We had grilled artichoke as an appetiser which tasted like lamb had been on the same grill - delicious!

On our last day we moseyed around the River Walk on the Mississippi River and shopped for some last minute souvenirs, etc. before driving home via Biloxi, Mississippi, and Mobile, Alabama.

I think we took it easy that weekend. The next week I had to work a bit more frequently but only from 8:30 to noon. So, it wasn't too bad! My mother and Lynn hosted a South African Roast Dinner one night to which we invited Larry's mom. Mom cleaned my house as all visiting moms probably do and the kids don't complain, because I can't honestly say "I wanted to do that!".

I think I'm missing some trip information here but anyway, I've kept you long enough! We went to see a real Rodeo on the last night of their stay. If I had known about all the bugs I would have worn jeans. Now I know why they give you fans. Not to keep you cool, but to keep the bugs at bay. Lynn got her cowboy fix and we got some great photos and some video- thanks Larry!

But, seeing family is always hard for me regardless of how wonderful and long the stay was. Thank you Mom and Lynn for coming all the way out here to visit us. We wish you could have stayed longer but we'd be broke. LOL!!!

Turdmato?

Larry and I have seen countless ads on T.V. about an inverted tomato plant hanger. I was enthralled by the ingenuity of the contraption and wanted one but they cost $20 for just the contraption - no plant or dirt included. So, Larry, who grew up in a plant nursery, suggested that he can make one for me to which I agreed most readily.

True to his word, he hung one right outside of our front door one day. Now, I am watching this plant to see when the fruit get bigger and when new flowers pop up. The most exciting part really is when you see a tiny little green bump inside the flower which is a baby tomato forming. We keep praying for bees to pollinate the plant so we can have more fruit. We have two BIG ones and one leetle one growing up at the top.

Roughly two weeks ago - on a lawn-mowing adventure in our larger backyard - Larry stumbled upon a growth right above the septic tank. He recognised the little yellow flowers and called me to tell me that he discovered a tomato plant growing out of our septic tank! He decided to pull it out of the very fertile soil it was growing in and repotted it with a trellis. At that point it was below the first rung. Now it is humumgous! We dubbed it the Turdmato.

It didn't take long during its explosive growth for little fruit to pop up and for us to identify Cherry Tomatoes. This is exciting, because I usually buy large tubs of Cherry Tomatoes from Sam's Club for the salads we eat with dinner nearly every night. (At least now we know where the seed came from....)

I told Larry God was illustrating to us how He can take our crappy situations and turn them into something useful for us. :-)

5

A friend of mine recently sent me an email with this as the content, "Hasn't anything happened in your life since Valentines? Update your blog!!!!" I replied that nothing of significance has happened since then and that is why there has been a dry spell on this page.

Until this morning, that is. I just remembered that something of great significance actually has happened. On April 1st - yes, April Fool's Day - I celebrated my 5th Anniversary in the USA. My cousin put it quite deftly, "You fooled April's fool!! Well done! You're still there and doing well.'

But, some commendation really should go to Larry; I landed at Hartsfield-Atlanta Airport on April 1st after a 20-hour flight with the flu. I was only in the country for approximately 20 days until Larry staked his claim on me. By the 23rd of April we went on our first date.

It was an incredible adventure - one that makes a great story. Hopefully I can immortalize it here.

It was a Friday night and I was still living in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Larry was working in Orange Beach, Alabama (10 minutes from Gulf Shores) but was living in Pensacola (45 minutes from Orange Beach). He drove all the way from Pensacola to pick me up and take me to a Carrabba's Italian Grill in Downtown Pensacola for dinner.

We were working at the same hotel at the time and everybody told me he was "loaded" because he had a little Mazda Miata convertible. He didn't put the top down that night because he was respectful of my hair do. We really got a chance to connect in the car. We had the same interests and liked the same bands. Trust me, you can cover a lot of ground in an hour's drive.

Dinner was fabulous and decadent and followed by a show at Seville Quarter called The Dueling Pianos. It is a comedy skit with two pianos and each guy has to outdo the other on his piano. Fabulous! Then he wanted to be a little romantic. . .

So, he drove down into the woods to show me a cove where you can see the Big Dipper and plenty of stars. It was gorgeous. Of course, then we wanted to leave, but the car was stuck in the sand.

Oh boy...

But, to my surprise, Larry was prepared. He took his cellphone and flash light and navigated us out of the woods in the dark because he knew the path so well from biking trails. He kept his cool and apologised quite a bit for making me hike out of the woods in high heels and a little black dress.

Soon after emerging from the woods, me now barefoot, we reached main road and one of Larry's friends who happened to be in the area came and scooped us up and dropped us at Larry's house. Lucky for us, Larry had a second old clunker reserved for high mileage to work. It saved him.

He thought he blew it, but actually he won. Although something unfortunate happened, Larry's attitude saved it. It turned into a great adventure for me. It let me know that no matter what happens, Larry will find a way to get through it and lead the way. I felt comfortable and safe with him. Larry's resourcefulness is what got him the prize - more than the wining and dining.

5 - I've had plenty of time to reflect over all of this. In five years I can show that I have a blossoming marriage and prospects. I finished a novel and I am three-quarters of the way to self-publishing (thanks Lulu.com!). God has tended me like a tree by the river-stream and with my roots firmly planted in the moist soil I have been nourished and now I bear fruit.

5 years?! Yes, 5 wonderful years - and counting!

In love

It's expected for a married couple to be in love, but I think we can all admit that it is not always the case. But, don't worry, Larry and I are very much in love. It just seems to be getting better. In fact, on February 25th we will have been "legally married" 4 years. Sometimes it doesn't make logical sense to me to love someone more later than the day we got married. And, yet, logic has nothing to do with romance and love.

Towards the end of last year Larry switched jobs. He has left Gulf Coast Audio Visual and now works for the hotel he was contracted at. He used to work for them before he worked for GCAVP. So, he works for a different company at the same place. Try to wrap your head around it. With Larry's new job he actually has two days off a week - for now. In the season it might be less, but it's not bad at all. He also gets to make his own schedule.

This past weekend Larry scheduled himself to have Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday off. Sweet! Obviously I had to work on Friday and Monday but I still had the weekend with him.

On Saturday we drove through the Fairhope, Alabama the long scenic way - if you can call the same tree repeated a gazillion times scenic. But, we finally got there and it was just gorgeous. Fairhope always has gorgeous flowers on the sidewalks and on top of the trash cans.

We started with espresso and cappacino from Mr. Gene's Beans followed by buying wine from Red or White. Usually the South African wine collection around here is limited. One kind you can always get is "Goats Do Roam" from Fairview but not really anything by Fairview.

However, we were in luck. We found a Pinotage from Fairview. The wine salesman asked Larry if he'd ever had Pinotage to which Larry replied that he's actually been to the wine farm. The man was very impressed and then asked if we had seen the goats. I kept quiet. At this point I've tired of telling people I'm from South Africa only to have to be asked "What are you doing here" and then having to explain the long story. Why does anyone come to the States? Work, money, opportunity.

Anyway...

We also bought some Greek wine from the $10/ bottle table as well as a bottle of Italian Chianti. The Greek one was a little potent - but that is what we expected. The Greek don't mess around! It tastes wonderful. One minute you are fine and the next minute it's like someone came up behind you and smacked you in the back of the head and now you see stars.

The owners of Perdido Beach Resort (where Larry works) also own a winefarm in Napa, California called Cain Vineyard and Winery. Their most popular wine is the Cain Cuvee which Larry spotted in the store. He complimented the man for carrying the wine. Not too often that ouy actually know the owners.

After our wine expedition we just walked around the little town and enjoyed every moment. That is, until I really had to go. Of course, on every door of the shops downtown they have a sign: No Public Restroom. I told Larry, "they must have a real problem with people needing to pee in Fairhope". Weird. We had to drive to the outskirts of town so I could go to Winn-Dixie's (grocery store) bathroom. *sigh*

We decided to drive back via Orange Beach and stop at the Perdido Pass/Alabama Point Gulf State Park which is a beach underneath a bridge also serving as a pass for vessels. We got there shortly before sunset. It was a stunning view.

Recently they made a rocky pier out towards the Point. It reminds me of my childhood on the beaches of Cape Town prancing around like a Klipspringertjie with no care in the world.

Of course, I proceeded to climb the rocks and prance (more adult now) on the rocks with the waves splashing up around me. At times I would just stand and watch the water so close to me.

I wish I could be there every day to see the sunset, though. What a thing of beauty. The best thing about a sunset is that no one is the same. And sunsets and sunrises have completely different colours. At dusk there is the mauve that lines the horizon. At dawn it's the bright peach colour that streaks the sky. God has talent!

So, we took some really wonderful pictures of the sunset. I'm only putting the best here. I'll have the whole album on Facebook if you're interested in "oohing" and "aahing".

To conclude, I can't imagine spending a better day with anyone more suited to me. I could not have made a better husband for myself because I obviously don't know myself as well as God does- He should, He made me!

This Valentine's Day I just want to focus on how incredibly grateful I am that I let God lead me to this wonderful man. Lead on!

FIRE!

From the title I guess you could deduce that I had something tragic happen to me. But, no, it was tragically funny. It was something that only I can do well - and get away with.

My boss went to his 2pm appointment and Jennifer used the time to go to the framing place and the bank. I decided that I wanted some tea while I did the mail sheet. Perhaps I should first explain the layout of our building and then our kitchen.

The building is like a townhouse with three levels. There are offices on the first and second floor and a residence on the 3rd. We are on the second floor and you can access our office from both the front and back of the building. The "front door" is located at the back of the building (?), while the "back" side is on the bayside where the entrance is (?).

The reason we call it the "back" side of the office is because the door from the bayside leads directly into our kitchen which always looks like some explosion took place and we are in the aftermath of cleaning up.

For some reason we even have a stove/oven combo in the kitchen. It is a very cramped little arrangement. You can't even open the oven door all the way because the fridge is in the way. So, while leaning over to the microwave, which is stuck in the corner, my hip must have turned the stove element on.

Seeing as no one ever uses the silly stove/ oven there is all kinds of stuff on top - in this particular case, a crock pot of all things.

I was innocently doing the mail at my desk - supposedly alone in the office. I kept hearing a noise in the kitchen and hoped it wasn't a rat. But, not too much later I started smelling burning, saw the smoke and knew I was in trouble. By then all the smoke alarms were screeching - driving me into a further state of panic.

The fire was really not big enough to waste a fire extinguisher on, so I just turned off the element, pulled the crock pot off the hot plate and the fire started dying down to the point that I could just blow it out like a candle. Thank God it worked!

The smoke alarms took forever to go shut up. I thought the whole neighbourhood must have heard by that point that I was being an idiot.

So, I've learned an important lesson: fighting fire is not the hard part - dangerous, but not hard. No, sirree, it's cleaning up all the SOOT and BLACK FLYING PLASTIC afterwards.

Jennifer is a great girl and she came back to the office to come and help me clean up. I'm sure that we'll still smell smoke in certain nooks and crannies for a while considering the smoke filled every office.

My boss came back and laughed at me, dubbing me the "firebug". I told him I thought there wasn't enough excitement at the office. He laughed again. Everyone was laughing.

Oh, and now I have black soot IN my nose. Well, I guess I now have the experience to write about fires. Research would have sufficed - seriously!