P.A. Moore's Blog, page 5

My Word ~ Goal ~ Intention ~ Focus for 2014 is Golden!

Golden = beautiful, advantageous, bright, brilliant, rich, precious, shining, joyful, best, valuable, sparkly, rare, glorious.
http://youtu.be/ieAD0AhmoqM


Living my life likes it's golden! 

Things I love: Caribbean Architecture

I took many, many pictures of the beautiful colorful homes and businesses throughout the Caribbean. Here are just  a few of my favorites.
I love the patterns on the front of this concrete block building. Barbados
I love the patterns of the wraught iron decorating this building. Antigua
Love the woodworking detail along the roof and banister of this home. Antigua
You can't go wrong with lots of color. Home in St. Lucia
I'm not sure what to say about thecolor and pattern decorating this casino front in St. Maarten.

Personal and Professional Goals for 2014!

 
   My goals for this year include:Create/plant a low water / drought tolerant front yard garden.Get a new refridgeratorClear clutter from my closetComplete writing at least 2 novellasPublish at least 2 novellas on SmashwordsEnter at least 3 writing contests (RWA)Complete at least 3 writing workshopsAttend at least 3 professional networking events (public health / legal or general)Take at least 3 professional business management courses/ workshops (on-line or in person)Write business plan for plus size swimwear cover up lineSave at least $2500 cashSell stuff at least $500 merchandise at 2 doll showsSell at least $500 merchandise at 2 or more Flea Markets Attend at least 2 scrapbook crop / retreatsBuild a greenhouse for garden vegetables As of Jan 15, 2014I have registered for a table at one doll show and saleStarted writing one novellaRegistered for one scrapbook cropRegistered for one Public Health professional webinarPacked one bag of stuff from my closet to sell and or donateBegan 24 days o tranquility e-courseVisited Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and  San Juan Puerto Rico in 2014.Visited St. Maarten, St. Thomas, St. Lucia and Barbados in 2013  This is a Becca Brand cover up.  Inspiration for creating my own plus size cover up line.  I love this cover up. I searched high and low for a great looking coverup. Paid a small fortune for this one. Would love to create a line of resort wear for curvy girls.
Not sure when I will be able to do this again (lay out in the sun) but this also on my 2014 goals/ wish list. Laying on Orient Beach in St. Maarten
Laying on the Beach in San Juan, P.R.
Laying on private veranda Celebrity Summit somewhere in the Southern Caribbean   

2014!

Hubby and I went on a 7 day cruise over New Year's Eve to the Southern Caribbean on Celebrity Summit. We left the kids with the grandparents on Christmas night and flew out on the day after Christmas. Don't worry the kids were spoiled beyond belief for Christmas. We arrived in San Juan Puerto Rico on Friday, December 27th so we had a day to wander around and explore San Juan.

Our first day in San Juan. Walking up to the Morro Fort. Here we are at the fort. Here we are walking towards the other Fort. I loved the colorful architecture.The ship was scheduled to depart on Saturday, December 28th. We booked two nights at the Sheraton so that we could check in early. Which was a blessing because we arrived at 7:00 a.m. We checked in and went straight to bed. After a short nap, we got up at around 10 a.m and went on the walk around Old San Juan and took the pictures above.

Later that evening we took a shower and had a nice dinner with Sangria drinks at the hotel.

Having dinner at the Sheraton in Old San Juan before departing. Sheraton Old San Juan I highly recommend the Sheraton in Old San Juan. It is within walking distance to the Forts and all of the cool cafes and restaurants of the old city. The room was very clean and modern. I read a lot of hotel reviews on TripAdvisor.com and this hotel was very well reviewed. There was no mold in the showers or worn carpeting as other hotels are reported to have in San Juan. There is another Sheraton Hotel in San Juan which is near the Convention center and cruise port but this one was very convenient to the popular tourist area, Old San Juan. There is a U.S. post office right next door so I mailed post cards home.

Later that evening we took a walk around the old part of the city were there was a street festival going on. There were still lots of Christmas decorations up in the hotel and around the city.




Friday, December 27th in Old San Juan
On Saturday morning we took a cab from the Sheraton over to the Pan American port. It was still very early and dropped off our luggage with the porters. The registration hadn't opened and we stood in line until about 10:30 a.m when we walked right up and got our tickets.
Within a short period of time we were taking pictures and walked on board the Celebrity Summit.


Modern Luxury
Our cabin was on the 11th floor aft. Right in the center behind the flag pole. The sunset bar was below us.  


Here I am on the balcony/veranda of our cabin. 
Hubby on the Veranda Hubby's favorite area of the ship was the spa. We were in aqua class cabins which gave us unlimited access to the Persian Gardens spa area where there were saunas, steam rooms, heated loungers.  Hubby took advantage of salon and got a pedicure on the first day. I had a hot stone massage and facial.
Solarium Thassolotherapy Pool / Adult Only Area
Hubby enjoying the jets in the pool.
 The ship visited a number of islands including Barbados, Antigua, St. Lucia, St. Maarten and St. Thomas. We stayed on the ship in St. Thomas and just rested. I had a hot stone massage and facial.

Antigua on New Years Day

Hubby and I at the volcano in St. Lucia
At the beach in St. Maarten waiting for the planes to fly overhead.
Hubby with a bucket of beers at the beach in St. Maarten.
Finally decided to take his shoes off. Next post, I will describe the food and entertainment.

Reverb13 - Day One through Three

I just found out about this journalling idea. I believe it was created by Gwen Bell in 2010. Each day an individual answers a prompt which reflects back on the the year that is coming to an end. This year Hope Wallace Kearney is hosting Reverb13 on her blog Besottment. I heard about this project from one of my favorite bloggers Kimberley Wilson on her website TranquilityduJour.

I would love to create a scrapbook but have decided to create a digital version here on my blog.

The days correspond to the day of December. Day one is December 1st. A prompt is revealed every day.

December 1 - Did you try anything new in 2013?
Was there anything that you did in 2013 that was a new experience? What was it? What was it like? How did it make you feel? If you did not try anything new - was there a reason? Something holding you back?



I went on my first Caribbean cruise in early 2013. I loved the island of St. Maarten and the parts of Miami that we visited. Miami is very large and spread out very much like Los Angeles area. Hubby and I rented a car and drove around the South Beach area.   I didn't like the huge mega ship.  It felt very impersonal. Hubby was furious the ship skipped its stop in the Bahamas. It was scary to leave the kids but it was nice to spend time with my hubby. It was nice for him to get away and relax after his health scare over the new year.


December 2 - What was the most memorable gathering you attended (or held) in 2013?
Did you attend a fun event? Throw a great party? Had dinner out with a great group of friends? Accomplished the perfect family outing? Which was the most memorable (good or bad), and why?



2006 Reunion in Los Angeles
The Moore family reunion which hubby and I coordinated was the most memorable event that I attended this year. As I described in a summer blog post, Hubby and I stressed out planning the event, organizing the supplies, purchasing the food, transporting everything to the event, setting up the picnic, cooking the bbq, and cleaning up the park after.


December 3 - What storm did you weather in 2013?
Big or small... obstacle(s) did you overcome? Feel free to be literal if you prefer... was there an actual storm that you survived?
My son getting in trouble at the end of jr high school and the first half of his first year of high school.

Week in Review! Mid November

Let me first acknowledge that I have slid all the way off of my eating plan. I am very mindful of the fact that I have eaten way too many cookies, grilled cheese sandwiches, popcorn and almonds. Sigh! Tomorrow, my family will celebrate my mother's 76th birthday so I probably won't be able to get back on plan until Monday.

Accomplishment this week:
Date today with hubby. Went to see "The Best Man: Holiday" . It was a great movie. While it has been 14 years since the first movie, the writer did an excellent job in picking up with the characters and adding just as much drama to this movie as the first. BRAVO!
Lunch with hubby and middle daughter.Stayed on diet 3 days this week. Watched a high school production of 5 one act plays.Listed 9 items on ebay. 5 items have received bids and will sell as of today. Stopped buying stuff for upcoming cruise. Spent an hour with my son after picking him up from school. Several telephone calls with older daughter about her "hectic life at school, internship and job as well as lack of boyfriend."Attended bible study this past Wednesday. Preliminary brainstorming for ski week February vacation for me, hubby and kids. Yes it will be about a month after we come back from New Years eve trip but hubby wants to do something in February. Considerations include: Hawaii and New Orleans. Hmmm. I pick Hawaii.Began drafting goals for 2014. Entered contest for Tranquility Tour goodie bag by leaving comment on Tranquility du jour blog. I'm having concerns already about the Massage Envy membership contract that I signed up for because I tried to cancel an appointment and they didn't cancel it. Instead they sent me a reminder email 48 hours in advance. They did make the new appointment but failed to delete the original one. Sigh!  This is going to be a long year. Weekend Wishlist!
Birthday celebration for mom with the rest of my family. Do it myself manicure.Price new items for bathroom makeovers. 2 toilets & pedestal sink with installation. Price new refrigerator with bottom freezer or side by side which will fit in the space I have.

Looking Back at October 2014!

 
I celebrated my 49th birthday by taking the day off from work and pampering myself. I got a manicure and pedicure and a massage. I received a gift certificate from a place called Massage Envy and I had a terrific massage. Unfortunately I didn't realize that they high pressure sell you into purchasing a membership in which you pay $59.99 auto deduction from your credit card and then you receive a massage every month or a facial for an extra $10 fee. Bottom line I signed up for the monthly package and will be pampering myself with monthly massages. Yeah!



I went to the movies two time this month with hubby. I saw Last Vegas about some retired gentlemen who went to Las Vegas for a bachelor party. Earlier in the month we saw the movie Baggage Claim.

Socialize
Two co worker took me out for drinks and appetizers to La Revolucion in Richmond. A co-worker is in a band that was playing there.



StudyI went to a professional conference on balancing Work and Home sponsored by the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. The conference speaker was a Life/Career Coach who did a few activities around clarifying goals and values but she left me wanting more. Which might have been her objective because she has her own consulting business. Anyway, After the event there was a wine, cheese and sandwiches. Many of the women left early but I did meet two women who worked for the California Department of Public Health. Nice group of women but I learned that I have a great job and life situation.



November
We went to my son's final football game of the season, yesterday. Yeah!

Wishlist for the next two weeks and the rest of the year.
Continue with low salt, low carb diet. Finish Christmas shopping. Wrapping presents.Go on 2nd Honeymoon cruise with hubby!

Mid October Review!

  I set some goals for this month and I am happy to report that I have been making great progress towards them. First please note my 49th birthday will be in 9 days.  Accomplishments this month: Completed 30 days abstinence ; no bread, no flour, no sugar. Woo Hoo!Progressed through rung #3 . Started incorporating dairy and seeds into my diet. Nuts such as almonds and almond butter continue to be a problem so I will have to eliminate them from my diet again. Learned to enjoy plain Fage brand 2% yogurt. Saw two movies: Gravity and Baggage ClaimWent to early dinner at The Dead Fish restaurant. Enjoyed the Cioppini Fish Stew and fried calamari. Yes this was the first day off from my diet. Attended Women's Bible Study weekly. Walked daily at work. Lost 15 pounds of weight. Got 2 teenagers to high school and back and forth to after school activities daily.Supported husband through his procedure.Visited Mom and Dad for Sunday dinner.   2nd Honeymoon PlanningChanged hotels for pre and post cruise. Will be staying pre cruise in old san juan and post cruise at a resort. Purchased strapless new years eve dress. Actually it is called an illusion strapless as it has the netting and beading around the neckline. I love it. Found a strapless bra that fits my boobs and make New Years Eve dress look fantastic. Still looking for a pair of 3 inch sparkle heels to take with me on the trip.I also purchased another maxi dress which Nordstroms is hemming for me this week and a more casural "fancy" dress to wear on the cruise. It is caribbean blue with a sparkle belt. I was looking at the sparkling wedding dress belts on Etsy so it is funny that I would find a dress with just a bit of beading at the waist. Earlier this year, I had returned a blue jersey knit dress to Nordstroms and so I was happy to find this new dress in the same color. This dress has a v-neck which I think is the most flattering with my bustline. Continued making a 2nd Honeymoon board on Pinterest.Found and purchased the white crochet beach cover up Becca brand at Nordstroms. Ordered 3 new white t-shirts from QVC. One is sparkle, one is a cold shoulder and one has a sequin anchor on it. I think I will send the anchor shirt back.  Beauty:Took out cornrow braids after 4 weeks. Needed to deep wash my scalp. Haven't decided what my cruise style will be but I am leaning towards a weave. I hate to spend upwards of $400 for hair so I may use the wavy hair that I already have. Purchased a set of Philsophy skin care products to improve my skin. I love the Miracle Worker brand products. Some facial sunscreen and body sunscreen spray.Got some new Moxie lipgloss from QVC.com  They were selling 6 lipglosses for $25. Sent a gift package of Philosopy products to my daughter in college for her birthday.  Christmas:Purchased a shirt for my dad for Christmas.Purchased some stocking stuffers for my kids for Christmas. Other
Took car for annual service. Had Service A completed as well as replace transmission fluid and brake fluid. Received estimate from Dent Wizard on removing dents from car. $975 including painting bumper.  Mrs P.A. Moore's Plan for the next two weeks of October:Hair appointment for press and curl.Dentist appointmentTook day off from work for my birthday.Practice putting on false eyelashes.Payoff kids gifts which are on layaway.   

Always a Bride. 2nd Honeymoon Ideas!

I love weddings and all things bridal. I love romance novels and movies that are romantic comedies.
My favorite television shows are those around weddings. I love Say Yes to the Dress. David Tutera's My Fair Wedding and Four Weddings. I don't like Bridezillas. Needless to say I'm a hopeless romantic.

  Hubby and I will be married for 23 years this coming November. Yeah!
After the hellacious year that we've had with hubby being hospitalized with a stroke on New Years and the number of follow up appointments with doctors he and I have endured I decided to celebrate New Year 2014 in a big way. We've also dealt with a hormonal teenager son and moody teenager daughter so they won't be celebrating with us. I asked hubby and he said go for it. So I did.

I booked a cruise for just hubby and I which leaves right after Christmas and travels over New Years Eve. Squeal. Yes, I feel a little bit guilty about leaving the teens right after Christmas but hey they will hang out with the cousins or their grandparents.

Details of the destination and ports of call to follow.

Anyway, right now I am in full fantasy planning stages. I am not currently purchasing clothes because I plan to lose a few pounds and don't want to make it okay to stay big by buying new stuff in my current size. I hope to be down at least a size or so. I am on a strict diet of protein and vegetables.



That being said I've decided to pick up a few cute honeymoon things to take along for the cruise. I had  a great time planning my vows renewal cruise in 2011. This time we won't do the vow renewal but we will do the honeymoon.

Items I've decided to invest in these custom items from etsy.com:



This robe is one size fits all. I'm going to ask the seller for measurements.



One more thing, I love these Ugg boots. They are called I do  Coquette and they come in white shimmer. I think these would be perfect for wearing on the plane and on cool mornings on my veranda. Last year I missed my comfy sheepskin slippers.


More details about Mrs. P.A. Moore's 2nd honeymoon to follow.  

Looking Back at September 2013!

September was a busy month for me. I've managed to get something accomplished in each of the categories I set out to address for this years goals.  SocializeWent to movie with hubby to see The Butler. Great movie.Had one girls night out with two women from work.Attended 3 weeks of bible study.Took mom to her favorite thrift shop.Took mom to a tea party at the Pardee House in Oakland. SavePut a gift on layaway for kids for Christmas. All part of my master plan to not run up debt. Listed one item on ebay. Goal is to list 4 more by the end of the weekend. StudyJust finished doing a preliminary read for Wild Rose Press Beauty StuffGot hair braided in cute Ghana cornrow braids.Started walking daily with a co-worker.Manicure Pedicure with sparkle orange polish.Completed 9 days so far of low carb diet. It is the only diet that makes me feel "well". 

 Wish List for October October is my birthday month! My goals are to continue with my eating plan. Lose 10+ pounds.List 25 items to sell on ebay.Celebrate my birthday.Go on at least one date with hubby.