"Your Only Chore is Being a Mom!"

The day Mike and I got home from Aruba, 
as we were cleaning up and setteling back home.

Amelie to moi:

You give chores to everyone! 

Except for you! 

Moi:

Really? I've been doing stuff all day long!
Unpacking, sorting, putting away, laundry...

Amelie:

"Your only chore is being a mom!"

"You even give chores to the dog sometimes!

i'm suprised you give your own HUSBEND chores!

You dont let him do ANYTHING until hes done!"

Moi Thinks:

Like I do nothing!!!

I wish I had only one chore to do and I could give chores to the dog!

I know that this little turd girl will someday be big and know how much
that 'one chore of being a mom' really entails...

Moi to Amelie on that someday when she knows:

How many chores does a mom give to herself?
How many chores are added by other people?

How much does a mother sacrifice and give of herself?
Not in perfect ways. Often laking.
Falling short so many times...
Striving. Trying.
From sun up to way past sundown.
Day in and day out.
Digging deeper for strength within and often needing and calling on Divine strentgh.
Strugling to meet everyones needs.
Never giving up on the fruit of her loins.
All because of that love and bond she felt, that one day, a child was born from her body.

One day, you, the little girl, you too will know:
How many chores a mom realy carries and gives to herself?
Precious little girl of mine,
tel me again about the
'only chore of being a mom?'

With all my Love
MOM

Airport Boredom, Puppy Joy & Guilt or Lack Thereof

Got rid of the 'beer' Aruba Tee-shirt
Traded it with a more appropriate Aruba one.
I got bored; thus the many picture of my man!

What joy to get our Chloe back!
10 days in a kennel!
She seemed fine though as if we had just dropped her of the day before.
They say dogs have no sense of time?
Or is it just a saying to appease a dog owner's guilt?

Kids had fun. No guilt there!
They understand and they are used to Mom and Dad's together time.
They are all the better for it.
Parents are still together, still working, still striving to nurture forever love.
When so many have broken homes.
Our little 9 year old girl notices friend's broken homes.

Thanksgiving

*******

 ”Christian thanksgiving is the life of Christ in the heart, 

transforming the disposition and the whole character. 

Thanksgiving must be wrought into the life as a habit—

before it can become a fixed and permanent quality.

We must persist in being thankful. 

Thanksgiving has attained its rightful place in us, 

only when it is part of all our days and dominates all our experiences.

Every day of our years should be a thanksgiving day.

He who has learned the Thanksgiving lesson, 

well has found the secret of a beautiful life.”

J.R. Miller

*******

9 days in Aruba

9 days of discovering this little island.

9 days of lovely pictures; 

the beaches, the clear water, the wonderful weather...

But as I fly home I am taking something more precious than a place, 

a beach, a pretty fish, over 300 pictures.

I fly home with memories of 9 days well spent with the man of my life.

9 days only he and I shared.

9 days of bonding and togetherness.

9 days just the 2 of us with no cares, work, responsibility or worry.

9 days of relaxing for my hard working man.

9 days in Aruba

Boca Catalina - Last Snorkeling Swim

After discovering these beaches on our last night, 

Mike and I decided to come early morning and do some snorkeling one last time,

before we had to catch our plane back to the States... 

The water was just too inviting!

So we got up early and snorkeled from 7:30am till 10:30am.

IT WAS AWESOME!

We then got back to our room and checked out by noon!

There were lots of boats that would stop by and let paying snorkelers in the water for about 30 min. 

I'm so glad we brought our own gear! 

We snorkeled everyday but 3 and for 1 to 2 hours each time, at 3 different spots...

In Aruba you can pretty much get to nice underwater wonders from the beach.

I must say though, nothing will ever be as beautiful as the Great Barrier Reef in Australia!

Unfortunately, in Aruba, a lot of the coral has lost it's color and died from careless divers who step on it.

  
  
 

Arashi Beach - Last Sunset Watch

Do we really have to leave? 

Time just goes by so fast!

 

 

 

 

 

   

California Lighthouse

Situated on the upper Northern tip of Aruba

Still in Love after 22 years and a lot of up and downs called 'Life'
(Boy, I really did have bad hair days. Every. Single. Day.)

Some of the fish we saw among many...

An octopus

Lots of Barracudas

Schools of fish of all kind (a favorite)

A sting ray

2 eels

And so much more!

God's creations are Beautiful!

Eagle Beach @ La Cabana Resort

Today we spent the day by our hotel relaxing on the beach.

No where to go, no rush, no responsibilities, no work... 

A book, a magazine, a camera/phone, white warm sand, perfect clear water,

and each-other...

Pure joy, bliss, togetherness and laziness!

“Nothing is a given. Everything is a gift.”

Oh My Heart!

 

Taken with my Galaxy S3 phone and the underwater setting on the Vignette App!
Awesome!

Sunset on Baby Beach

So Good to be sharing such Beauty Together! 

Joy

Pet Cemetery

We cam across this interesting beach, while exploring a little the southern tip of Aruba.

As we were reading some of the names on the tombs, we realised this was a Pet Cemetery!

Baby Beach Paradise? OH Yes!

  

 

 

 

Baby Beach Snorkeling & Mike's New Swim Stroke!

After some wonderful snorkeling for a couple of hours, 

beach relaxing well deserved (especially for Mike)

Mike has been such a trooper trying to keep up with me with his still healing shoulder and knee.

He came up with his own special swim and was all proud of himself when he showed it to me saying: 

"I can keep up with you now!"

Oh how I wish I had a video of it!

It would be worth watching!

It goes like this:

A dolphin kick with a synchronized doggy style arm movement.

It's a good thing that I lead the way otherwise my mask would fill up with sea water from laughing!