Another Day in Paradise

Still enjoying ourselves here in Marco! Although I have to say our weather has been less than perfect the past couple of days (thanks to Hurricane/Tropical Storm Ida), we've still managed to catch quite a few rays of that lovely south Florida sun. Today, for example - the forecast was for clouds and possible rain but we planted ourselves on the beach despite what the weatherman said. And guess what? The sun came out! So, we soaked up what we could and then headed out for some afternoon SHOPPING! We hit two of our favorite spots in Naples - The Best of Everything and Stein Mart! Found great bargains and 'must haves' at both stores, so the Naples economy is a little richer tonight. :o) Sounds like it will be raining tomorrow, so we'll more than likely do a little more exploring of the shops, stores, and boutiques here on the island and in Naples. Fun, fun!!!

A few pictures from today:

Cool cloud formations in the sky

Mr. and Mrs. Seagull on the beach

Me standing outside of my ALL TIME FAVORITE STORE IN THE WORLD :o)

Signing off for tonight!

Marco Time!

Another GREAT day here in paradise! Actually, the weather didn't cooperate too well today - we're feeling some of the effects of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Ida, which is bringing clouds and lots of wind. Still, I spent most of the day at the beach and pool. Robin and Jen decided to check out some of the stores/shops on the island while I lounged. I didn't feel too guilty lounging because I started my day off with my favorite 3 mile walk down to the last building along the beach and back. :o)

Then later this afternoon, the three musketeers ventured out once again to a few more of my favorite shops. Based on the weather forecast, beach time tomorrow is questionable as well, but hey - in all honesty, we just don't care. This trip is not so much about coming home with a tan as it is about coming home rested, relaxed, happy, and stress free. Oh, and a few dollars poorer, too. (Can't forget about all that shopping! LOL.)

Didn't take too many pics today -- just a few random shots of palm trees.

More tomorrow!

Great Escape 2009 - Marco Island

Once again, we find ourselves in beautiful Marco Island, Florida . . . for a few days of total "girl time" . . . i.e. lounging in the sun, walking the beach, hunting for shells, surviving on a diet consisting mostly of cream cheese and sour cream based dips/appetizers & drinks with some sort of alcoholic content and, of course . . . SHOPPING. This has become an annual tradition for Robin, Jen, Heidi, and me. Unfortunately, a construction accident left Heidi's husband in the hospital last week so she was unable to join us this year. HEIDI, WE MISS YOU!!! We're here until Friday and are enjoying every single minute.

Let's see . . . we arrived in Fort Myers yesterday around noon. We leisurely made our way to the island (shopping started even earlier than usual this year! LOL) and got to the condo around 2:30pm. We unpacked, relaxed on the lanai for a little while, and then headed to Walmart for our weekly supply of food and drinks. We didn't do much last night, other than go out for dinner, because all of us were up by 3am Illinois/Iowa time in order to catch our flights. Needless to say, we were TIRED girls last night. I think we all were in bed by 11pm. At 4:23 this morning, we were roused out of bed by the complex's emergency evacuation system, which is broadcast VERY LOUDLY in each unit ... the broadcast sounded an (annoying!) alarm and played a repetitive message that the 3 of us will never forget - LOL. "Attention please - an emergency has been reported. Please leave the building immediately, using stairways and not elevators, blah, blah, blah...." We wrapped up in blankets and trudged down the stairs where we hung out with numerous other people staying at the Somerset this week. I felt so sorry for the families with young kids and for the elderly people. We were ultimately visited by police and the local fire department. Turned out it was all for nothing, so at about 5am, we headed back to bed.

Today was a "sun day" for a Sunday. :o) We lounged on the beach all day, chatting, napping, listening to music, and looking for shells. Ahhhhhh ..... paradise. Came in late this afternoon and had a scrumptious home cooked dinner (Italian Wedding Soup - yum), some drinks (of course), and we're now all 'playing' on our laptops. Again, paradise.

Looking forward to another day of the same tomorrow . . . and the next day, and the next day, and the next day . . . Well, actually, we'll probably do some shopping tomorrow afternoon and/or on Tuesday. More paradise.

Check back soon - I promise updates daily throughout the week!

Halloween Fun!

Happy Halloween 2009!!

Some pics from the festive weekend .....

First, we carved pumpkins:

Carly wasn't afraid to stick her hand in the 'goop' (albeit with a rubber glove - LOL!).

Alex hard at work:

The finished products (we ended up with one traditional jack-o-lantern, compliments of Alex, one kitty cat, compliments of Carly, and one creepy raven, compliments of Nick):

And finally, time for Trick Or Treat! Carly was adorable as a pink and white kitty cat:

The boys, of course, were nowhere to be found when it came time for trick or treating......Alex went to a party with friends, and Nick went to a friend's house for the night ..... hmmmmm this is the FIRST time Carly had to trick or treat with just Mom. I guess the boys really are growing up .....!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween!

One ... Two ... Three ... Four ... Down for the Count

Let's just say that this has not been the best of weeks around here. All 3 kids and I came down with a lovely strain of Influenza A last weekend. I'm happy to say that, after 7 long days, we are FINALLY all on the mend. Poor Carly got the worst of it -- she battled a raging fever for an entire week. I don't think her little body could have possibly held any more Tylenol or Motrin. Alex was the first to return to school -- he finally went back on Wednesday. Nick returned on Thursday and I was home all week long -- down myself through Wednesday and then home playing nurse-maid to poor Carly on Thursday and Friday. Her 104 fever finally broke in the wee hours of Saturday morning and she has been fever free ever since. Hooray! Let me tell you -- this was one NASTY bug. And a prime reason why all good moms should get their kids in for flu shots as soon as they are available in the fall!!! I delayed .... and you see for yourself what happened. :o( Needless to say, we will be headed to the doctor's office at some point this week to finally get immunized.

Here's to a better week for the Miller household! Thank goodness the kids and I are better because Mike left this morning for Orlando on a business trip ... lucky dog - he'll be basking in the warm Disney sun all week while we battle the central Illinois chilly weather here.

Hope everyone is staying WELL!!!

Homecoming Fun . . .

It's Homecoming week for Central Catholic High School! This year's theme is "New York, New York". Dress up days include "NYC tourist", "Roaring 20's", and "Favorite Broadway Show". Today was "Roaring 20's" and here's what Alex looked like when he left for school this morning:

He said the school was filled with gangsters ... I'm thinking he probably fit right in! (minus the bat, of course ... no weapons allowed) :o)

Considering I was running to Walmart last night at 9pm to find a solid colored tie and a fedora (sp?) hat, I'm hoping he already knows what he's gonna wear for tomorrow's theme! I suggested he go with Grease - that's pretty easy to do and won't require Mom to run around at the last minute frantically searching for costume supplies. LOL.

And as for me, well, once again I volunteered (why???? please remind me of this NEXT year!!... ha) to co-coordinate the annual alumni & friends homecoming luncheon, which will be held on Friday. So today I spent the day at home working on centerpieces for 24 tables. Check out my small 'masterpieces' (okay, so the term 'masterpiece' might be just a small stretch....)

All in all, a very fun and action-packed week! Check back soon!

Football, Football, Football!

Alex is #63 and Nick is #19. Both of their teams are undefeated (Nick's team is 2-0 and Alex's is 3-0).

Enjoy the pictures!