Thanksgiving in Virginia Beach

Party Dress!

Celebrating friends' birthdays!

We celebrating friends' brithdays at the home of Miss Vivian and Mr Redney last weekend. Ellie loved playing with Lan & Andrew's 8 year old twin girls, Elyana and Kayla. We enjoyed ourselves and Redney's mom visiting from the Philipines made a wonderful noodle dish!

I was on TV ... AGAIN!

Santa Parade at the Downtown Mall

Ellie, Syndey and Riley on camera
Riley, Ellie, (their mom) Bridget & Sydney
Ellie & Riley

Ellie, Sydney and Riley

Me being interviewed by NewsPlex Channel 19

More girls being interviewed about what they want for Christmas!

Santa arrives by carriage

Horse Drawn Carriage

Today was the Christmas Parade at the Downtown Mall. The great thing about being here with Ellie is we always find friends of hers to share the event with ... today we met up with Riley and Sydney from her school. Their mom, Bridget is one of my favorite moms .. we always see each other at all the class functions too. Ellie's favorite part was all the candy .. and the potential of being on tv. Our local TV station set up camp right next to us and filmed the parade, interviewed me and then Ellie and her friends. It was a sunny day .. and we enjoyed our time outdoors!

Are you a carrot, egg or coffee bean?

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, Mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrots went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, they softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting in the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level?

How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Great questions. Ones worth pondering.

As the story concludes: May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to make you happy. That's because ... the happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes their way.

Child of the Week - in the Dolphin Room

Her chart says:

My name is: ELIZABETH

I am 4 years old.

I live in a HOUSE.

She drew herself, and her family.

"My friends are: Riley, Emma, Josephine and Ellynor"

Favorite Food:Popcorn and Chocolate Bars

When I grow up I want to be: NURSE

Favorite Color: Pink & Yellow

Favorite Book: Disney Book

My New Favorite Show ..

It reminds me of being in NYC on several of my trips to visit SF agents. I've had some of the best dinners - Little Italy, Mid-town, drinks in SoHo, took in a Yankee game and my first NHL game .. all during SF agent visit trips. No wonder I love this show so much .. a story of an Irish clan of police officers and the family drama surrounding them.

­BLUE BLOODS is a drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement. Frank Reagan is the New York City Police Commissioner and heads both the police force and the Reagan brood. He runs his department as diplomatically as he runs his family, even when dealing with the politics that plagued his unapologetically bold father, Henry, during his stint as Chief. A source of pride and concern for Frank is his eldest son Danny, a seasoned detective, family man, and Iraqi War vet who on occasion uses dubious tactics to solve cases. The sole Reagan woman in the family, Erin, is a N.Y. Assistant D.A. and newly single parent, who also serves as the legal compass for her siblings and father. Jamie is the youngest Reagan, fresh out of Harvard Law and the family's "golden boy;" however, unable to deny the family tradition, Jamie decided to give up a lucrative future in law and is now a newly minted cop. Jamie's life takes an abrupt turn when he's asked to become part of a clandestine police investigation even his father knows nothing about, and one that could impact the family's legacy.­

Baltimore Weekend

Ellie at the Dolphin Show

Ellie at the Fish Display at the Inner Harbor

Ellie at the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch

View of the Inner Harbor

Enjoying her beverage at lunch

Turtles!

Dolphin Show

Hard Rock Cafe guitar above the restaurant

Walking into the Aquarium

Inner Harbor

Every Life Has a Story

This story is worth watching for the 3 minutes it takes. Great reminder we're each living our own story every day.

Hot Cocoa ..

Today was a day of shots .. Chicken Pox, Measles/Mumps/Rubella, Hepatitis and Flu! She was a trouper through the whole ordeal. The nurse bribed her with stickers and I promised treats at the mall.

We shopped until we dropped .. Lands' End at Sears and big sale at Gymboree afforded us big bags of goodies! Tonight she requested noodles with butter with hot cocoa for a treat. Lots of great outfits to wear in Baltimore this weekend!