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I broke my rule. Here is a picture from yesterday, no picture for today. My camera did not come out to play, but tomorrow I will make it up to you! For those wondering what I did while Todd played golf. I held the flag, drove the cart some, and took a few pics along the way. Afterall Florida is home of the most beautiful beaches...and golf courses. We should retire here and play golf everyday.

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It's fun treating Tuesday as a Saturday. What better day to have off work to go play and do what you want without all the crowds of people! This morning we woke up and went to play golf. Ok so maybe Todd played golf and I watched. However he did let me take a couple of swings. And it took a couple of swings to even make contact with that stupid little white ball. Todd said I had good form, so maybe one day it will be one solid motion with some contact. (Santa, I would like lady golf clubs for Christmas. lol)
After golf we decided to pack a picnic for the beach. It's such a nice day. Crisp air this morning and crispier air tonight. A slight breeze that cools you off when the sun is not covered by the clouds. We snorkled some uncovering seashells. The beach was quiet. Only a few other couples were there and we were spaced out about 100 yards apart. I love living here during this time of the year. Everyone not from Florida should make a point to visit this area during the fall.

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Just when I was wondering what the picture of the day should be, wallah, I checked everyone's status on Facebook. Thanks Sally for the awesome morning so I can blog about it! For those that cannot read this just click on the picture to enlarge. Trust me it is so worth reading. Or at least it made me laugh. Maybe it's just because for years Sally and I would have our Monday morning conversations at work, and I could totally see her animations as she would have told me about it. Oh how I miss working with Sal, she was such a hoot. hehe

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Oh yeah, life on the water. It's so refreshing.

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Not only is my man the sexiest, he is the funniest. At least he is in my eyes. He got his new AE shirt in the mail today and we had to take a pic since he was jumping up and down about it. lol

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Date Night at the Ebro Greyhound Dog Races! It was completely different than anything we have even done before. These dogs really book it chasing that rabbit. Todd is a better guesser at the winners than me. I can't say it's skill because we couldn't figure out how to read the program. This was our first Big Date Night and not our last. I really love the time we get to spend together one on one. A great date. A great guy. A great life.

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Some days even shopping at Hobby Lobby can't bring a smile to your face. However when you go to check out and the cashier is singing to the Christian song coming from the speakers, that could bring on a little grin.

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We took a stroll down 30A. The sun was a shinning but the wind gave a cool breeze. Well the cool breeze was refreshing only when we were in the shade. I believe we had a great time at Seaside looking at all the neat shops. Dad didn't get a relaxing beach vacation but he did get a weeks worth of activities shoved into 2 full days. Tomorrow morning we say goodbye as he heads north. We sure did love our Ferguson vacation. Who's next for a little trip to PCB?

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Got Crabs. Ok maybe just one. I was fast enough to catch this huge crab by shore on Shell Island today. Dad had the camera ready and the crab was hanging on for dear life. Too bad for the crab we were hungry so we built a fire and cooked us some crab de la camp fire. Just kidding we didn't eat the poor crab, I just let him crawl back to the ocean.
On Dad's day 2 of his trip, or should we say his first day without driving at least 4 hours, we were on the move. Breakfast at Another Broken Egg (yum), then back to the house to get our stuff ready for Shell Island. I made some of my famous PB&J sandwiches for our picnic island lunch with a cooler full of ice cold water. We stayed on the island for 4 hours walking and picking up shells. It's just too bad we didn't find any big perfect shells. We walked a lot and swam in the ocean and rested. Then back to shore to get cleaned up for Captain Anderson's for dinner. Oh my that was delicious!!! After our delicious fresh fish dinner we drove into town to get Dad's World Market fix in. He just loves that store. And now we are enjoying a cup of coffee watching ESPN.

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Dad is here. Dad Ferguson that is!
We were able to have some delicious pizza at Mellow Mushroom, then walk on the beach, then head to Antonio's for some decadent desserts! It is so good to have great conversations with Dad. We are so blessed to have him come visit us for a few day. We have so many activities planned and hopefully the rain will stay away.

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Post 333 how exciting. But what is more exciting is finding out that Todd was home by the time I got home from work. The other exciting thing is that he had this amazing meal ready for us. Pork Chops, Brown Rice, Avocado with Tomato and Lime. YUM It was a delicious dinner. If he cooked for me every day like this I would be queen and he would be the queen's chef.

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Yep that is exactly what you think it is. And yep, I know, I can't believe I did that either. And yep, I really did climb up the pole all by myself. I've never been to a birthday party quite like this one, but it was a lot of laughs and fun. However my arms, back, and legs are a little sore from trying to twirl and swirl. I will not be making a career move. lol

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Do you have an area in your home that is the "catch all" for your pockets? Welcome to ours! Oh yeah and if you forgot which direction to head for the beach, we can help you with that as well. Our "To Beach" sign was given to us from my mom and dad the first time they came to visit. I love it!
The Bible Study group went amazing tonight. We had tons of new people there. It was a good laugh and a good lesson. We are ready for next week. TGIF!

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Tomorrow we start our Bible study back up, so I have been prepping food tonight. Every Friday night we have a different food theme for the pot luck. Our Bible Study is fun and it's really the only time Todd and I get to fellowship since we work Sundays. anyways...I went from work to the store to home. Then of course the new comedy night is on NBC, so we watched and laughed and during commercials I was in the kitchen. Needless to say, no pic of Sept 17, however here is a pic from a few weeks ago that I have not shared yet. Please enjoy!

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Water Three Ways!
Plain tap water. MMM
Crystal Light flavored. AHHH
Coffee. OH YEEEAAAHH

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The Biggest Loser started a new season tonight. As I watch them push themselves to their breaking point, I think to myself, "Am I strong enough to to that?" I will never know if I could handle the trainers screaming at my face but let's see if I can dedicate myself to pushing hard everyday. Today my weight is 146.8 lbs. After all if those people on the show can post their weight to millions of people, I can post it to the few that read my blog. So Cheers to getting in shape and loosing a few lbs on the way.

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Walking across one of the streets in the French Quarter a guy stopped us and said he noticed we walked across the street and we were in violation. Todd and I were like, what??? Then the guy said it was a Party Poopper Violation. He was raising money for some charity that provides something for the poor. Anyways we ended up giving him a $10 bill and he gave us this hat. We were stopped 2 more times by other people but since we paid our fine we were able to pass. I Heart N'AWLINS.

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What a trip.
New Orleans has a whole variety of culture that we have never seen before. We believe we ate everything Creole, Cajun, Louisiana, and New Orleans Style that we could cram in a few days. Let's see: Cajun New Potatoes, Po Boys, Gumbo, Jambalaya, BBQ Shrimp, Beignets, Coffee and Chicory, Hurricane, Alligator Sausage, Pralines, and Grits to name a few. Surprisingly we enjoyed each dish or drink or treat.

A little recap with a few of my favorite pictures.
The first picture is of a River Barge on the famous Mississippi River.

"Classy" Bourbon Street. This picture was taken before the police blocked off the road so vehicles won't drive down Bourbon Street. Now I know why my parents would not take me down this street when I was a kid. WOW. Talk about a different culture. Todd and I ate dinner on the balcony of this restaurant. It was a lot of fun to people watch, and the food was to die for! Believe it or not we went the entire trip without a "Lucky Dog" from the cart vendor shown to the right.

Every door and window had shutters. Most of the buildings in the French Quarter were over 100 years old. We spent most of our time walking around the French Quarter. It was so inviting with all the different style buildings and balconies. However once nighttime fell it was a little scary walking around the streets. The strangest thing was we almost felt more safe on Bourbon Street.

St. Louis Cemetery. No graves 6 feet under, in floods the caskets float up. The dead is buried in a family tomb. The burial process is quite fascinating really.

The trolley wires on Canal Street. We didn't take the time to ride on the trolley this time but our next trip we just might go All Aboard.

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Tourist Tourist Tourist Oh yeah that was totally us today. We took a bus tour around NOLA to get the history of the town and to give our feet a rest. It rained here and there so the dots on these pics are the rain drops on the bus window, and you will notice the reflection on the glass. A moving bus and a raining day and me behind the camera, well, these are the best ones. hehe


This picture is of a home in the Upper 9th Ward. It looks like it has a new roof, but still needs more improvements. It was sad to see the devastation that Katrina made on those neighborhoods. It was also uplifting to see the different new homes and homes currently being built by various charities. Homes for Humanity had an entire row of colorful homes along one street. Brad Pitt's charity has an entire neighborhood that is building some awesome looking "green" homes. Unfortunately it was pouring down with rain during that part of the tour, so I have no pictures. If we are brave we might make it there tomorrow.

This picture is of the markings that were made when rescue teams checked the homes for bodies. Katrina hit August 25 and they were able to check this home September 14. Four years later the markings are still there. At one house the markings was on the glass door. The owners of the home left it there but hung a wreath over it.

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Rain Rain Go Away!!
Today we walked EVERYWHERE in New Orleans! Around the French Quarter, the Riverwalk, even a little stroll down Magazine Street. My feet are swollen and we haven't even had dinner yet! As I update my blog, Todd is enjoying a little nap. It feels so good to have our feet up in a dry place. We thought if we started later this morning that it might stop raining; we were wrong. I had my pink umbrella and we were able to purchase Todd a nice black one. At the time we didn't really know how much we would actually be using the umbrellas. Luckily it only rained really hard once and shelter was only two steps away. The rain was more like a heavy sprinkle most of the day. All the locals say it's suppose to rain all weekend, but it's not gonna stop us from visiting a new city. Well we better get ready for dinner. Until tomorrow, stay dry.

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Earlier this week Todd and I decided to take a little trip to New Orleans. We both scheduled to have the weekend off work together, but we didn't really know what we were going to do. Somehow a get-a-way to New Orleans was mentioned and next thing I know I was online looking up places to stay.

We arrived here around 9pm and we were hungry so we unloaded the car and headed out on foot. We ended up a few blocks away at Deanie's Seafood (it was suggested by the hotel employee). Surprisingly when the waiter brought us our drinks he also had a bowl of new potatoes. From a distance I honestly thought it was hushpuppies, but no potatoes. I've never been served potatoes as a "bread" dish before our food. We love potatoes so we dug right in. Todd took the first bite and he said it had a kick to it. I was like, "Welcome to New Orleans, Honey!" He's a real sissy when it comes to spicy food. So I took a bite, and wow it got hotter and hotter even after it went down. Wowzers, if it's hot to me, then Todd must be dying. Our meal was quite good.

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I love me some PB&Js!
Just ask Todd about the first time he ever made me a PB&J sandwich. He would say that I took one bite and said, "What is this?!" And after hearing about it for 8 years I believe that I really said it. If I remember correctly he didn't make it perfectly. Now that he knows the correct way of making a PB&J he does an exceptional job. Each little corner of the bread has to be smothered in either Peanut Butter or Jelly. No big clumps of jelly in one spot and a little bit of in another...even. The same for the peanut butter, it has to be a nice even layer. Once combined it makes an unbelieveable PB&J sandwich! Yum Yum

P.S. My Mom's knee surgery went great! They were able to do a partial knee replacement and she should go home soon. Thanks for the prayers!

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I know I know, What in the world. My Mom is having knee surgery tomorrow (Wednesday 9-9-09). Actually she is having a partial knee replacement. Her hospital time and recovery time will be half the time as an entire knee replacement. Please pray that the surgery goes smooth and her recovery is speedy. She hates being in pain and with this surgery she should be free from any more knee pain! Plus next time she comes to visit she will actually get to walk on the beach! Good luck Mom! You know we will be praying for you!

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When you picture your 15 minute break at work, what does it look like? Does it look like this? Mine does. Seriously. Us girls take turns and go work out for 15 minutes twice a day now. It's so relaxing. We get back to work sweaty and hot. Luckily for me it's only 15 minutes, that elliptical kicks my butt! But I sure do love the view. Today I watch some dolphins playing in the ocean not too far from shore.

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Happy Sunday! I know it was not long ago I posted another Bible verse photo, but you get it again today! My good friend Cory West posted a new blog today based on Acts 16:25-34. So in the effort to get his blog read by my readers, here ya go!
http://beyondthedogma.blogspot.com/
Cory and Carrie live in Friendswood, Texas where they are working by serving the Lord at their church. And lately I've been missing my Westestsssssss! Believe it or not but we haven't seen them since we moved to Oklahoma (and they moved to TX)....ummmm since 2007....no wonder I miss them so much. Back in the day we would see eachother once a week if not more.

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It was rather cloudy by the time we were able to hit the beach. Nonetheless we still had ourselves a delicious beach picnic and then a nice little beach nap. And we were able to see a nearby fisherman catch a decent size fish. All in a days work! Or should we say...All after a days work.

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I love surprises. Today Todd brought home a few new outfits for me to wear. I also love having a husband that does all the shopping for me! I say, "Honey, baby, sweet pea, (lol) your baby needs a new dress." Whaalaaaa!
We have been doing so good on eating healthier, so tonight we decided to treat ourselves. Our favorite bakery shop is a couple blocks away from our home and the prices are pretty reasonable, so we drove over there picked up a new dessert item then walked over to the beach. We plopped down on our blanket and shared the delicious Chocolate covered Mocha Cake Truffle that was defiantly made for two. We watched the sea as the full moon lit up the sky. Ahh it was so romantic and peaceful. And then we took a deep breath to fill our lungs with the Ocean air, but all we could smell was donuts. That's right donuts. Apparently the donut shop across the street from the beach starts making donuts at 9:30. So we laughed and watched the stars.

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What a treat! 2 pictures in 1 day! We took a short drive to the State Park and walked along the beach. I'm guessing this was an old pier. It was pretty cool. The water was so peaceful today.


We were the only ones on that beach, next time we will take picnic gear and stay longer. Enjoy our shadow portrait!

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This is our little friend outside our home. Mr Lizard puts a little spice to our lives. Every now and then I will catch a glimpse of him moving around outside, it's nice to know we have someone on patrol outside our door. He blends in pretty good with our surroundings. He must like it here.

I love it here because it's not too far away from the beach and close enough to smell the ocean air. To feel the gulf breeze against your skin cools you down from a hot day. I didn't get to take a walk on the beach today but tomorrow I will. At night the sand has become cool to the touch, but the water is warm. I would say the water is the warmest it will get all year. It's so clear too. Just the perfect shades of blue and green sparkling from the sun. Maybe just maybe we'll have some time to go snorkeling tomorrow. I'll keep you posted. For now I'm gonna sit on my chair outside with my friend Mr Lizard and enjoy the ocean breeze while looking up at the stars and the moon.