Wild and Wonderful

It was off to Morgantown WV on December 19th to attend Amanda and Luke's wedding. Because of winter weather warnings I left early and took two days to get there. I also decided to leave on Saturday after the wedding to make it home before the next winter storm hit Northeast PA. It was all worth it, however, as the wedding was beautiful and Amanda was radiant. It was also great to see the many family members who attended. The Syracuse guests drove through blizzard weather to get there. We BeVards don't like to miss family weddings!!














Stephanie and I stayed at the Ramada which was the same hotel where we all stayed for the 2000 family reunion. Driving on route 68 heading to Morgantown brought back fond memories of Cheat Lake, Coopers Rock and all of the fun we had then. What I can't believe is that has been eight years since the reunion. Where does the time go?????

I Love My Blog

Thanks to my blog the mystery of the jacket has been solved. I realize that I could have taken other avenues to solve the mystery, but I am glad I used the blog. The red jacket is currently on its way to Florida and back home to Tim. I think my strategy of checking the pictures and noticing that Tim was not wearing a jacket was very "Sherlock Holmeseque". If anyone else out there needs a mystery solved, feel free to call on me.

CRUISE UPDATE: I got an email from my travel agent informing me that the cruise line has dropped the extra charge for fuel from their cruises. Not a huge amount, but every little bit helps.

Also my brother Jon was concerned that this was turning into a "chick" cruise and was wavering on his decision to join up. I told him that there were several male types considering coming aboard and I hope he was reassured. The bottom line here is that there will be a couple of thousand people on board and I am sure the sexes will be equally represented. I also realize that we all have different preferences for things to do and know that we will all be "doing our own thing" for most of the cruise.

Henry also has some concerns regarding piracy on the high seas, to name one. I too have been following the news on this issue and admit that an incident of piracy might put a damper on the cruise, but I also find that every time I plan a trip somewhere some kind of scary news pops up - it hasn't stopped me before and won't this time. Those of you who know me well know that flying is not my favorite thing to do, and I swear every time I fly there is a plane crash somewhere within a week of my flight. I think those things happen just to annoy me.

Anyway - the cruise is on so sign up!!!!! AAAARRRRRRR

Mystery Jacket

After the 43 people left after Thanksgiving I found a red man's jacket in my front closet. I have yet to receive an email or phone call regarding this very nice red Nautica jacket. I have even gone so far as to peruse the pictures that I took on Thanksgiving as well as those sent to me by Patti and by Patsy. There were several photos of us singing to those leaving - most of the guys had jackets on so that rules them out. Tim did not have a jacket on, but I noticed the NYC pictures that Patti sent me he did in fact wear a jacket in NYC. WAIT - maybe when he got to NYC he realized that he was going to freeze and bought a jacket. It would be nice to solve this mystery and get on with my life. If I don't hear soon it may end up at the Salvation Army.

There was no school today due to a "snow day". I ran errands all morning in the rain and it is now 4pm and still no sign of snow. Just cold wet rain. I am not complaining mind you, I have enjoyed this day immensely and will never bad mouth the beauty of a snow day. It is one of the few "perks" of teaching. My only concern is that the rain will turn to ice and/or snow and impede my progress to VA tomorrow to visit my gorgeous nieces, adorable grandnephews, and my friends.

Sun and Nick are engaged!!!!

Love is in the air

My good friend Sun emailed me last night to tell me that she is engaged. I could not be happier for her. Sun and I go back a long way. We worked together for many years at Yorktown High School in Arlington, VA where we became close friends. She has also become an honorary member of my family. Sun and I have enjoyed many trips together, to Arizona, Ireland, Southeast Asia, repeated trips to New York City, and to the Dominican Republic. We also take our annual "spa weekend" to Hershey, PA with Jillian and Shellie. Needless to say we are all so happy for her and Nick. I'm sure Nick knows it, but he is a very lucky guy.

Some More Thanksgiving Pics

The Morning After

For some odd reason on Friday morning we are all hungry again and gather at my house for breakfast and more raucous laughter. As people leave to return to their homes we all go out on the porch and sing "So Long, Farewell" from "The Sound of Music. We sing this very loudly and often very off key.

To say the least, this is my very favorite holiday because we all get together as a family and just enjoy ourselves. Everyone pitches in bringing food, prepping, and cleaning up.

The BeVard Thanksgiving is just what Thanksgiving is supposed to be.

Each year Karen brings a gingerbread house for the young ones to put together. We have had some in the past with swimming pools, etc. etc., always very creative. This year I noticed that the builders of the house were aware of the current economic conditions.

We Gather Together......

We all gather at Shellie's on Thursday (43 of us this year) to catch up, enjoy each others company, and devour two turkeys, two hams, and all of the trimmings. The eldest 10 family members get to eat in the dining room with china, silver, and crystal. The rest eat on paper and plastic wherever they can find a place.

Aaron was the youngest there and got most of the attention.

Peter enjoyed getting his tummy rubbed

Off to the Dietrich Theater

After dinner we gather for a group photo, which is always interesting as we can never get everyone in the picture as someone has to take the picture. Then it is off to the movies - some of us were a little disappointed at the choices this year. The teens were happy because "Twilight" was one of the films showing. The other was "Four Christmases" that not a lot of people were interested in seeing. Those that saw it did not give rave reviews.

Sixteen Candles

This afternoon Hannah called and wanted to walk down to use my wii fit. After she was here for a while Shellie called to ask me if I would drive Hannah to church at 5:00 for a new youth group that was forming. While Shellie and I were having a perfectly normal conversation Hannah started yelling, "I am not going"! As I was innocent and had no idea what just transpired I told Shellie I would be glad to drive her.

When it started to get close to 5:00 I reminded Hannah that I was taking her to church. She informed me that she didn't know anyone there and did not have to go and it was "gay". (Mind you, she has been attending this church for several years) At any rate I made her get in the car and I drove her to church. Now, I don't know how many of you have seen "Sixteen Candles", but I swear I was living the scene where te parents have to push the kid into the school dance. We sat in front of the church watching the kids walk in (presumably voluntarily) and she was refusing to get out of the car. I finally told her I was dragging her in and I got out of the car. She quickly exited the car and I followed her into the church where she cheerily greeted her friends. The only difference between us and the movie was that while all of the screaming and yelling was going on we were both laughing.

Now here is the wisdom of Shellie. Had Shellie driven her they would not be laughing.

"You'll Never Know Deer........."

We always have six or eight deer in our neighborhood that travel together all year long. As I was driving down to Walmart to buy a ladder this afternoon (my smoke alarm in the garage has been beeping for two days and I can't reach it - it was either buy a ladder or go stark raving mad) six deer crossed the road in front of me. They are always so beautiful and I never mind stopping to let them pass. All at once I was overwhelmed with sadness - Monday and Tuesday after Thanksgiving are Buck Day and Doe Day in these here parts. As I choked up I wished them luck and bid them farewell, hoping that I see them again in a couple of weeks. Since taking the job with Wyalusing Schools which celebrate those two days by making them a holiday I have felt guilty about enjoying my two days off and extending my Thanksgiving holiday by two days. Oh well, after this year that won't be a problem for me.

The Mary Day - July 1981

Planning this cruise has brought some memories to light of cruises I have been on in the past. My first cruise was a barefoot cruise in Penobscot Bay off the coast of Maine. I was living in Arizona at the time and Herb and I flew to Maine to go on the cruise. It was one of the best vacations I have ever had and very different from the one I am about to embark on. There were 28 passengers and 5 crew members on board. The boat had no engine and we sailed every day to some remote island or port to enjoy the outdoors.

The Mary Day still sails and I was able to download current pictures, which prove that not much has changed with the Mary Day in 27 years. There were two toilets on board and no bath or shower. As you can see by the pictures our accommodations were less than luxurious. We were given a plastic bowl that we took up to the deck and filled with wash water from a barrel. The food was cooked on a wood stove and the "formal" dinner of the cruise was on a deserted island and consisted of lobster, corn, and rhubarb pie. The corn and lobster were cooked in wash tubs. Herb won the prize for eating the most lobster and I took honors for eating the most rhubarb pie.

We all ate in the galley that you see in the picture and helped with both the cooking and/or the clean up if we chose to. I still remember sitting on deck in the evening and listening to music played by our captain on his concertina and some members of the Rochester Symphony who were on the cruise. We had a different kind of homemade pie every evening and I would rush down to breakfast the next morning because the left over pie was always out on the counter. What great memories!!!

How Does Your Garden Grow

Lynn came to visit this weekend and brought me some pansies to plant in my front yard. Now, anyone who knows me knows that any work that has been done in my yard has not been done by me. She asked me for a trowel; now what would I be doing with a trowel. I gave her a cheese cutter, which worked just as well. Erin and Lynn planted the pansies while I watched. When we got up this morning and went outside we found that several of the plants had been unplanted, which to me just confirms the fact that it is useless to do yard work. The animals are way ahead of us on that one

When we planned this weekend several weeks ago to celebrate both of our birthdays we decided that after the election we would either be celebrating or drinking ourselves into a stupor. We did not have a need to drink ourselves into a stupor.

Lynn and I spent most of Saturday online or reading the cruise book to research things we would see and do on the cruise. Many of the shore excursions sound like a lot of fun. Joanne at the travel agency suggests beginning to book the shore excursions later in the spring. There are so many to choose from and they all sound interesting and fun. One stop - Dubrovnik - is known for wine and oysters and offers a tour that includes not just wine and oysters, but also a scenic drive. Lynn is going to call Joanne and begin her fact finding mission on joining the 70th birthday celebration. I am excited that she is considering joining me.

The Best Part of Having A Fall Birthday!!

Erin had her 9th birthday this week and it was lots of fun. Hannah and her friend Sarah made up a new twist on "Pin The Tail on the Donkey" game. It involved lipstick and a frog and is called "Can You Turn This Frog Into a Prince?". The girls had a lot of fun playing, especially because it involved wearing lipstick. They also enjoyed the fall weather and playing in the leaves.

This morning I took Sam to the Salvation Army store to buy items for his halloween costume. He is being a little vague, but we suspect he is either going to be Michael Jackson, or one of the zombies from the video "Thriller". He bought a suit coat, a white shirt, and very high platform boots. I can't wait to see what he comes up with.

I am adding the link to the travel agent for the cruise in case anyone wants it. Nothing new to report at this time, but am happy that so many are really thinking about going. Again, the travel agent is Tenenbaum's Travel and the website is under the link for the cruise line. The agent I am working with is Joanne.

A Call From The Wild

This week was Sam's birthday and he chose "Smokey Bones" as his birthday dinner choice. When we ordered the cake from the restaurant they seemed puzzled that we wanted a whole cake. When they brought it to the table we knew why - it was huge. We managed to eat about 1/16 of the cake and had to take the rest home. It was served a second time at Sam's party on Saturday and a third time at Sunday dinner. There is still almost half left. I have to say that although it is ridiculously huge, it is also scrumptious.

I have been thinking a lot about Katelyn the last couple of weeks and wondering how she is doing with her Outward Bound experience. Well, I spoke with Jillian this morning and she received a phone call from Katelyn and all is well and she is loving the experience. We have had no contact with her since she left for North Carolina on September 15. I really admire her for doing this and am happy that she is enjoying it. I don't know how I would do in the wild for 50 days. I think a Mediterranean Luxury Cruise is more up my alley.

With that nice segue into the cruise topic, I wanted to mention the email that Cindy sent regarding her plan to finance the cruise. I shared the email with everyone - I found it interesting that giving up a few things can earn enough money to finance the trip. The cruise sounds less expensive when you look at it that way.

Took The Big Step

Cindy and I both booked the cruise yesterday! I decided on the spur of the moment to find another travel agent to work with. I went to the yellow pages and found one that specializes in cruises. I think I hit the jackpot!! I stopped in just to check it out and loved Joanne right from the beginning. She has sailed on the Norwegian Jade and began by telling me the best places on the ship to book a stateroom. I had read in a travel book I bought several months ago that location on the ship was important, but didn't know where to begin. I was struggling with having any faith in the agent I had been working with; it seemed to me I was doing all the research and sharing the information with her.

Joanne encouraged me to stay a night in Barcelona before flying home. I was easy to convince, especially after just seeing "Vicky, Christina Barcelona". Mary Jane and I saw it at the film festival and thought maybe we would run into Javier Bardem there and he would invite us to his place in Oviedo for some casual sex. It's not impossible!!!!

For those of you who are truly planning to join me on this adventure when you book it will be a $400 deposit with the rest due in August of 2009. That gives me almost a year to save. If anyone is interested the travel agent I am now using is Joanne Schall with Tenenbaum's Travel in Kingston, PA. 570-288-8747, email joanne@tentrip.com. Their website is www.tenenbaums.com.

One of the annoyances of traveling, in my book, is having to go through immigration every time you hit a new country. I found out that on cruises the cruise line takes care of that and you don't have to go through immigration at every stop. Another benefit to cruises.

Movie Madness

Tunkhannock's Dietrich Theater is holding it's semi-annual film festival and in the past 9 days I have seen 15 movies. The festival continues for four more days, but I have already seen all of the movies so it is time for movie withdrawal. Marcus, Elaina and Courtney came down the first weekend and saw a bunch of movies, then Mary Jane came for the second weekend and continues to hold the record for watching the most movies in one day. She saw 5 movies on Saturday. I love the festival because of all of the great movies - I also love it because it "brings out the BeVards". Hanging out with BeVards is one of my favorite things.

I also just got some exciting news from Jillian - Peter is taking his first independent steps today!!! We have been waiting for this news - he has been promoted from infant to toddler. Congratulations Peter!

The cruise plans are coming along nicely and I am about ready to commit and book. I woke up in the middle of the night the other night in a panic. I dreamt that I didn't have a passport and they wouldn't let me go. Allthough I know full well that my passport is valid I actually got out of bed and dug out my passport to make sure. It's going to be a long year.

Sailing, sailing, over the ocean blue

Here is a picture of the ship that I will sail on over the Mediterranean. I have done quite a bit of research on cruise lines, ports, etc. etc. and this is the one that offers dates that work for me and ports that I want to explore. This one actually hits a couple of places that others do not. It leaves from Istanbul and includes stops in Athens, Venice, Naples, Rome, and Barcelona.


Now -- another option was suggested by my niece Debbie and may also work. She was nice enough to give me a "heads up" on this great deal. It is only seven days as opposed to the 12 day cruise that I have chosen, however, it may be hard to pass up.


This is the "Dixie Belle" a member of the fleet of the Gypsy Cruise Line. Isn't it a beauty? It is much cheaper also. What do you think?????






The birthday crown might be nice.









Telephone in the bathroom - nice touch also.

Call Me Ishmael

I doubt that Captain Ahab will be chasing the great white on this cruise, however, we can pretend. Many of you have asked for specifics, many of which I don't even know yet. I do know the cruise line, www.ncl.com. If you go to that website, then enter Europe as the destination and November 2009 as the date you will come up with several options. The winner is the Norwegian Jade, which sails from Istanbul, Turkey on November 2 and is a 12 day cruise. I have many takers already which makes me very excited. I am very lucky to be part of a great family who love adventure.

stupid is as stupid does

Well, in my zeal to keep fit I do wii fit as well as going to the gym on a regular basis. Last week dropped a 25 pound weight on my foot, so am doing no exercise at this time. I do have a spectacularly purple toe, however. We are told that we get wiser as we get older - really????!!! Sometimes I wonder.

Come sail with me

I would like to invite all of my family and friends to join me on my 70th birthday cruise. I plan to be cruising on the Mediterranean Sea as I turn 70. The cruise I have selected starts in Istanbul, Turkey and ends in Barcelona, Spain.

The cruise sails on November 2, 2009 and sails for 12 days until November 14, when we disembark in Barcelona.

I am workng with the AAA Travel folks in Tunkhannock and also checking out options online. I have chosen the Norwegian Cruise Line as the ports and dates work best for my plans.