Go... Go... Go!

It has been non-stop since my last entry. I haven't really had the chance to sit and share what the dwellers of the Castello have been up to. But I must admit, that what spare time I have had, I've spent it on... Facebook. I think it's time fore me to say, "Hi, my name is Lady G and I'm a Facebook addict." Is there a support group for Facebook addicts?

Well, I don't have many pictures to share. Mainly cause I'm spending most of my time in the car driving here and there. But I will share what I do have...


Our Fair Maidens got back this past weekend from their mission trip. The went with World Changers to Brunswick, Georgia. They were blessed beyond measures as they were busy doing what God led them to do. We aren't sure how this happened, but Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Still Waters assigned to the same crew. Daughter of the King enede up not having anyone from our church group in her crew. Even so, they all enjoyed what they did. The crew they were assigned to worked on a home that was in much need for the roof to be repaired. In fact the home that Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Still Waters worked on, needed the trusses to be replaced. Then they replaced the roof and put new shingles. Both homes that our Fair Maiden's worked on needed the outside to be painted, lots of yard work and cleaning up the yards. I couldn't help but cry as I heard they stories they shared. I hope they take the time to write and entry about their trip. I know that you will be blessed by their stories, I was.

While on the trip, Soaring Amongst The Clouds got dehydrated. She was pretty bad off. They ended up giving her 2 bags of fluid. But trooper that she was, she was back to work the next day. I tell you, our Fair Maidens are young ladies that look delicate. But they are tough young ladies. God was watching over them and He took care of them.

The day after they got back, Daughter of the King came down with the flu. Praise the Lord it wasn't the swine flu! But none the less, it was the flu. She was feeling miserable! I wanted so bad to take a picture, but I knew she would KILL me (even though she didn't have the strength!) if I even got near my camera. My poor baby girl is still recovering as I write this.

Still Waters got her 4 wisdom teeth extracted yesterday. Needless to say, I'm still not allowed near my camera. :( My poor baby girl's cheeks are swollen. But praise the Lord she's not having pain. She feels sore, which is expected. The surgeon prescribed some good meds. :) I did make some chicken soup (for her and Daughter of the King) and they've been eating that. It seems to help. She's also putting ice packs on he cheeks and that's helping too. I've also had her put some arnica on her swollen little cheeks. I know it's old school, but hey, my Abuela Caky always had us use that for just about everything. It really does work!




Remember how I said that The Warrior made the 11-12 yr. old All-Stars team? Well, they won! They are District (insert our area number here) Champs! This coming Saturday they'll be playing in the Sectionals. After that comes the State Championship. Then Reginals follow. After that... The Little League World Series at Williamsport! Yep, every little boy's dream! Oh, I forgot to mention that when they won the District Championship, they were UNDEFEATED!!! They ten run rulled all the teams they played! Those little players played their little hearts out. Oh, what's even KEWELER is that since my Knight is the team manager, he said a prayer and a little devotion before every game. How AWESOME it that?! None of the players or their parents objected. God is good... ALL the time!

As I'm writing this The Warrior has a 102.2 temp. I believe he has what Daughter of the King has. He doesn't want to miss the game this Saturday. I (we) would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for him. Not just him, but for ALL our children.

G.I Joe will start packing tomorrow. He'll be going to (insert another state's name here) to an Academy. I really can't share to much about this right now. But I will when he gets back. He is really excited and so are we. We know that this is an awesome opportunity for him to learn and grow. He'll be rooming with a friend. I can't wait to see what God has in store for him while he's gone. Please pray for him as the Lord leads you to. Thank you. :) I will update this the day he leaves and I will add a picture of his departure. :)

As for me, I am heavyhearted. My sister in Christ is dealing with the tragic loss of her soul mate. She is having to explain to their 6 yr old, things that he shouldn't have to deal with at his tender age. My heart aches for them. I am finding myself hugging my loved ones a little tighter and saying, "I love you" more often.

Thoughts of my brother Toots and my Abuela Caky keep raising through my mind. I miss them terribly. My Abuela taught me so much. When I first got married, she was the one I called for cooking tips. Our phone bill was astronomical! Considering I was first calling her from Louisiana and she lived in Florida. Then we were stationed in Germany! She is the wisest woman I have ever known. I'm thankful that she knew that I loved her and she new how very important she was to me. My Toots was the brother all girls wished they had. He was my sunshine. Just being around him one couldn't help but feel at ease. He had such charisma and charm. What makes it a bittersweet for me is that my precious G.I. Joe is the spitting image of my Toots. Not just in looks, but "how" he is, how he acts. They way he says things, his humore, his outlook on things. There are times, that my eyes just well up at the thought, "My Toots would of loved being our Squires' uncle". He was already a wonderful uncle to our Fair Maidens. The thought that they are growing up without him... is sometimes unbearable. :(

I have to keep reminding myself that God keeps His promises. His Word is true. I hold on to the hope that one day we will ALL be reunited. What a sweet reunion that will be. Until then... I hold on to His promise and remain faithful.

Faithfully His...
Lady G~

What's Going On?

Well, let me tell you...



The Warrior made the All-Star 11-12 yr. old Little League Baseball team. WAY TO GO BABY!!! My Knight will be managing/coaching the team. We are THRILLED beyond words. This will be The Warrior's last chance to try to make it to The Little League World Series in Williamsport. He's very excited and is really enjoying getting to play with the other players. He's also loving the fact that "dad"is going to be there every step of the way. :) G.I. Joe has been helping out with the practices too. GREAT bonding going on with the three men in my life. What a blessing!



Soaring Amongst The Clouds has been busy learning to scuba dive and surf. What can I say, our children are adventurous! It's in the blood! I'm so proud of them! IF you'd like to see some of the picutres, head on out to her blog. She's LOVING it! She was taking a summer online class. It was a 12 week class. Well, she finished it in 6 weeks! Pretty focused and determined, huh?! She's enjoying her summer.


Still Waters took a summer class also. Which happened to be very interesting. I can't remember the title of the class. But it had something to do with learning about Asian Religion. She had to attend a Buddhist ceremony. She had a hard time trying to find a Buddhist temple, but she found one. Did you know that women do not attend their services? Well, they don't. She was the ONLY female there. Needless to say she felt very uncomfortable and didn't stay for the entire ceremony. But she was able to gather some information and took some outside pictures of the temple. She didn't feel it was appropriate to take pictures inside. I hope she journals about it, because I think you would be very interested in seeing what she observed. You can check her blog out and see if she's updated it. She has also been very busy working in the Media Center at the U. She works 5 days a week. We really miss not seeing her throughout the day.



Daughter of the King has been quite busy. She has also taken up surfing. She's loving it too! Aside from that, she is working as a part-time nanny. Yep. Our nephew, The Constible and his wife, La Madre, needed help with their two little ones. Boo and Buttons are 2 yrs. old and 10 months old. La Madre is studying to get her real estate lisence. The Constible is the PR officer for the Sherrif's office and he's also a real estate agent. They are quite busy. So Daughter of the King helps them out 3 days a week. She's getting to spend some quality time with the wee ones and everyone's loving it!



G.I. Joe just got back from a baseball/mission trip. He had a wonderful time. The Coach of the school where he plays sports at, asked him if he wanted to partake in this mission trip. He was the only one from Florida that attended. The other young men were from Kansas, Mississippi and Georgia. The Coach go to go along too. They went to help a church set up for Vacation Bible School (VBS). The young men's main job was to canvas the local area and get the word out for the church's VBS. During the day they knocked on doors and talked to people or had the doors slammed in their faces. But they were all in good spirits. In total, they visited over 1000 homes in 4 days! At night, they played baseball games against local schools. They got to play 4 games. They won three of them. They were suppose to play 5, but one game got cancelled due to rain. Even so, they had an awesome trip. The organization they went with is called Operation Renewed Hope. They are talking about going to Panama or Domincan Republic next year. This is not new to them, they've been there before. When they visit other countries, they hold baseball camps, take medical supplies and share the gospel. The boys that attended this year, my G.I. Joe included, were new to this type of mission trip. G.I. Joe is very excited and can't wait!



We got to go see one of the baseball games cause it was only 2 1/2 hours away. So I was able to take... 300 pictures! :) It was good to see my G.I. Joe. We were all missing him terribly. This was his first trip alone. Well, he's been on mission trips before. But my Knight and the Fair Maidens have gone along with the group too. This was his first trip without any family along. One he got home, he did tell me that he had missed us all. Be still my heart...



My Knight took a week off. I would like to say it was a vacation, but it really wasn't. I guess it was a vacation "away" from work. LOL! It was wonderful to have him home with us. Except G.I. Joe wasn't home to enjoy it, but that's ok. He was blessing and being blessed where he was at. ;) Well, being that my Knight was on vacation, he decided to help the All-Star team get ready for the upcoming games. So, they had two practices a day! Yep.. 3hrs in the morning and 3 hrs in the evening. If you are from Florida, you can attest to what I'm about to share. It's been record HOT in the Sunshine State! These boys practiced their little hearts out and NEVER complained! In fact, they wanted to keep going! I kid you not!!! We were all amazed! The parents were ready to go home, but the players wanted to keep playing! Don't worry we are BIG into keeping hydrated! At every practice, we had a cooler full of iced water. They had plenty of water breaks too. On the last day of double practice some of the parents decided to eat out at Chili's. We had a great time. The team is really gelling. They really get along great. We are very hopeful. ;)



My Knight and I celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary, on June 19. We have been married over half of our lives. I'm sooooooo awesomely blessed! I can't begin to share what a wonderful man my Knight is. I'm so thankful that God saw fit to bring the two of us together. God is good ... ALL the time.



I... am... officially... now.... 46!!!! WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Yep, my Knight turned 46, two months and two days ago. So we are both 46. :) You know what?! 46 feels GREAT!!! I'm loving where I'm at right now. Things keep getting better! You know that story about the lady wanting to be buried with a fork? She told the pastor that when people asked why she had a fork, that he was to tell them, because dessert is always served last, so the best is yet to come. That's truly how I feel. Every step of the way, I've felt, "it can't get any better than this, this is good right now!" Well it has, and it keeps getting better and better. Life is good... cause God is good... ALL the time!

Chosing to stay positive and see the good...
Lady G~

T.E.A. (Taxed Enough Already) Nationwide Party

Where do I even begin for this entry?!?!?! Well, April 15th is Tax day here in the states. It's the day our taxes are due. Let me start off by saying that I have no problems paying taxes. I have an issue with the government tell me where and how to spend my money. Not only that, but my children's money too!

I am registered as a Republican. But I don't consider my self a Republican, Democrat or a Liberal. I'm just a citizen of the US of A. I vote according to my believes and my views.

Ok, back to what this entry is all about. Some US citizens have had enough (me and mine included). All across our nation, T.E.A (Taxed Enough Already) Parties were scheduled to take place. Some places even did a modern day tea dumping like they did in the original Boston Tea Party in 1773.

We decided to participate in one of the T.E.A Parties. So we got busy and made some signs...


Being that Still Waters is the "artsy" one, she sketched out the letters....



... for our signs.



Each of us came up with what we wanted written on our signs.



We each decorated...




... and colored our own sign.



The Warrior and G.I. Joe made this sign as a joke. At the gathering, they were going to be selling pork and tea for lunch.



I told them we could go to the Italian restaurant that was near by the gathering and have pizza for lunch. Hence their sign. LOL!



Still Waters was loading up the car to head out to the University. Since she had classes, we decide to go to the T.E.A. Party close to her school, instead of the one that was held in our town. That way at least 5 out of the 7 dwellers of the Castello were able to take a stand together. G.I. Joe and The Warrior rode with her. They enjoy riding with her.



Soaring Amongst The Clouds rode with me. Daughter of the King had classes at the Alumni University, so she wasn't able to take a stand with us. My Knight had to work so he wasn't able to attend either. :o( But they were with us in spirit.



G.I. Joe is the most outgoing one. So his sign fit him to a "T". LOL! His sign had two sides. The other side read, "Don't Tax Me Bro!". Yep, very him! LOL!



Four dwellers of the Castello taking a stand for what they believe in. I'm so proud of them.



Some of the pictures were taken by Still Waters. I'm ashamed to say that I did not take individual pictures of my children. :o( I was so caught up in the moment, that I took plenty of pictures of everything else and group pictures of my children, but none of them individually.



I love quotes. I specially love quotes from Thomas Jefferson! So I was very pleased to see some of his quotes on signs.



There were quite a few opposing "change" signs.



LOTS of Fair Tax signs. I personally don't know much about this proposal. I have to check it out and see what it's all about.



There were people of all ages, walks of life and nationalities taking a stand for what they believed.



This was probably one of my favorites. :o) I wanted my sign to read, "I'll Keep My Guns, Freedom & Money, You Can Keep The "Change". But I wasn't sure what to expect once we got to the gathering.



Let me just say, it's not an Obama issue. We aren't in this mess because of him. We aren't in this mess because of President Bush either. We are in this mess because things have been getting out of hand for years! It can not continue!



LOVED this one too!



I LOVED this one too. THIS... has been forgotten. We need to remember how this country was founded and why.



A quote by one of my favorite presidents. Honest Abe is my favorite. Ronald Reagan is my second favorite.



There aren't that many things made in the USA any more. :o( But I do try to buy American made items as much as possible. I also like to support small local business as much as possible. Keep as much cash in our community as we can. Supporting our local Farmer's Market too. ;o)



My famiy and I were having a great time. While I was walking around taking pictures. These two ladies approached my children. They started questioning/quizzing G.I. Joe. When I saw them talking to my children I got closer so I could hear what they were talking about. G.I. Joe was holding his own. But then she started getting a little more forceful. Mainly cause he wasn't giving in to her way of thinking. Our children have been taught to respect their elders and to be polite. At this time, I stepped in. Mama Bear came out with her claws, but with a smile. I spoke up and we went round and round. I was not attempting to change her mind, but she was certainly trying to get me to change mine. So I decided to end it and said, "I guess we'll have to agree to disagree." To wish she replied, "No, you'll just have to get more educated in the matter." In essence she was calling me stupid! That ruffled my feathers. But my response was, "I pray that you see the Light."

I kept my composure. I kept thinking that my children were with me. I need to set an example. I'm a woman who loves and fears the Lord. What example am I setting as a Christ follower? Thinking all that helped me to stay the course. God is good... ALL the time!

The T.E.A Party had some speakers who shared some testimony. One of the ladies was Cuban. She shared her story of how she came to the US. She shared about her life in Cuba. I cried. Made me think of all the stories my dad has shared through the years. We are so blessed to live in a FREE country. I know that we are not like Cuba or China. But we are starting to lose some of our freedom. And frankly... that TICKS ME OFF! Ok, I need to compose myself. Smile and be nice...



Once we were all hungry, we started walking towards the restaurant. As we were getting closer, a man came running out of the restaurant. He stopped us and asked if he could take our picture. This is the only group picture we have with all of us in it.

We had a great lunch. My Squires and I had ordered a large cheese pizza. Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Still Waters shared a pepperoni and sausage calzone. Let me tell you... the food was DELISH!!!



The Squires having some fun. We had bought 2 1liter drinks. We only drank one, so we took the other one home. Looking at this picture, I realized they dressed alike. LOL! Granted the kaki shorts are a different shade, but they are still kaki. The print on their t-shirts are different too, but they both wore dark blue shirts. LOL! Great minds think alike. ;o)

All in all we had a great day. It was inspiring to have our family together standing up for what we each believe in. I wish my Knight and Daughter of the King would of been able to partake with us. Well, maybe for the next one. Which I hear through the grapevine, will be held on the 4th of July! Imagine that! How FANTABULOUS is that going to be?!!!!

Pictures, Lots Of Them And More!

I have to admit, that I have been to lazy to post entries on my blog. Most of my family and friends are on facebook. So, I've been updating that daily. Sharing photos and seeing how everyone I know and care about is doing. But honestly, it's the not same as keeping a journal.

By keeping this online journal, I'm able to share my pictures. Not only that but my ideas, my views, what I think and my heart. When others read this, it might make someone laugh. It might make someone think, "Hey, I don't have it so bad, this woman is a looney, her poor family!" I hope that what I share might be able to minister to others in some small way. That my love for God, my man, my children, family and friends shines through. That Life is good cause God is good. I know it sounds simplistic, but that's how I see things. That's how I feel.

Well, lol, my intentions were just to share the pictures that I've recently taken. Somehow, I started chasing a rabbit. I've put it back in the cage now... poor thing. I'll have to let it out again, cause it really shouldn't be caged up. Would you want to be caged up?

Ok, here we go...



You must be wondering what in the world are they doing here. Well, the amplifier connection thingy on G.I Joe's acoustic guitar, came off. He had to unstring his guitar, so that I could stick my hand inside and try to poke the thingy out so it can be screwed on the outside. Sounds complicated right? Well it was! It took us FOREVER to get it done. But it got fixed and we didn't have to pay anyone to do it! YEAH!



Softball season has started! Our church joined a church league. I'm thrilled to say that this is the first time that my Knight and two of our Fair Maidens are on the same team. In the past, my Knight has played on the men's team and our Fair Maiden's, at the time played on the women's team. My Knight hasn't played in years due to being busy with our Squires and baseball. But this year, all of our Squire's games are early and the softball games are later. So... he's playing on the co-ed team. YEAH!!!



Soaring Amongst The Clouds giving it her all. Way to go BABY GIRL!



Daughter of the King waiting for a good pitch.



My man smacking the ball...



... he got a double!!! YEAH BABY!!! YOU ROCK!!!



I LOVE MY MAN!!!



Still Waters and DQ were spectators at the game. *chasing rabbit* DQ will be 15 in October. Due to how she has matured through the years, I feel she should no longer be called DQ. Which stood for Drama Queen. She was quite the actress growing up. LOL! From hence forward she shall be known as Bella which means Lovely in Italian, but it's also her favorite character in her favorite book series, Twilight. Boss Lady (my sister) and Papa (my nephew) were sitting in the shade.

G.I. Joe and The Warrior sat and watched the games with their friends. It was a hot day, but they had a great time.

Before my sister left, some of us went to Sonics to eat. It's Papa's favorite hamburger place. He was telling us that they show the Sonics commercial in Miami, but there is no Sonics there. What an awful tease!



Papa's hair has gotten long. When he wears his cap, his hair kind of looks even fuller. So I was playing with it and flattening it on the side for our picture. We were all having a good laugh over it.




Bella has a beautiful smile.




My beautiful sister and I.





She's so photogenic!



URGH!!! He always give me a hard time about pictures. But I sure love this boy!



G.I. Joe and The Warrior are playing baseball for a local private school. I'm THRILLED to say they are on the same team. G.I. Joe was elected captain of the team. What an honor!



My Squires taking practice swings.



The Warrior is the youngest in the team. He is the only 6th grader on the team. Let me tell you, he can hold his own among the high school players!



G.I. Joe is a lefty when it come to playing sports. But when it comes to everything else, he's a righty.





Notice how... ah... gigantic the first baseman is. Well, most of the players on the other team were just like the first baseman! I can not tell you how many times G.I. Joe stole the bases. He went from 1st to home stealing along the way, a couple of times during the game. He had an awesome game.




The Warrior started out playing second base. Then they moved him to third base. Let me tell you, my heart stopped when they moved him to third base! I kept thinking, "He's just a baby! My little David is playing against Giant (hitters!)" We all know that third base is a "hot spot". Did I mention that he did great? Well, he did! *note- his name is not David. LOL!




G.I. Joe pitched...


... the entire game! We lost, but we had an AWESOME rally. The score in the end was 11-9.



On Easter weekend, we saw a chance to visit our family in Miami and we took it! I'm sorry to say it was only an overnight trip. :o( This picture breaks my heart. Papi (my dad) hated to see us go.



The Warrior must of said something funny (like he always does) cause his sisters were trying real hard to hold it in.




Papi attempting to be at eye level with the Fair Maidens. LOL! He's so cute! Notice, Daughter of the King is in the picture. Well, she sings in the choir. Being that it was Easter weekend, our church had a special choir presentation. She had commited to be present. So she stayed home to fulfill her commitement.



We were having lots of fun trying to take a "group" picture. Notice The Warrior is holding my hand down. I was attemtpting the "gangsta" look. LOL! I'm sure my children were thinking, "Mom... PLEASE... Don't embarass yourself! Specially not on film!" LOL! I'm happy to say, I have no gangsta in me. LOL! Which I'm sure my children are thrilled about it!



Boss Lady (my sister), Papi and I.



Have I mentioned how much I love my dad? Well, I LOVE MY DAD!!! HE ROCKS!!! Because of the example he set, I married the man I did. My Knight is everything and more than I ever dreamed my husband would be. My mom didn't come out in any of the pictures cause she stayed inside looking at some photo albums. All the pictures I took indoors didn't come out. :o( Well, except for the one of my dad and G.I. Joe.

Notice my dad's shirt? He has a closet full and drawer set full of t-shirts just like the one he's wearing. I'm not kidding and I'm not exaggerating. He wears one EVERY day. Do you think he's proud to be an American? :o)



I am 18 months older than my sister. She has ALWAYS been taller than me. Well, except for the first two years of her life. I was taller than her. :o) This is typical of us. She towering over me and me sticking my tongue out or making some kind of funny face.



My sister is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!! Her smile and laughter are contagious. She's fun to be around and is always the life of the party.



How many takes did it take to get one good picture? Let's just say that you need to hands to count them. I was having too much fun misbehaving! :o)



This Easter was a little different for us. Since we didn't go to church, no one dressed up. Everyone loved their Easter baskets. Chocolte galore! Soaring Amongst The Clouds got some scuba gear. Still Waters got some clothing and so did Daughter of the King.



The Squires loved thier gifts too. G.I. Joe got a psp. The Warrior got a playstaion 3 game he's been wanting.



The Monday after Easter we all just chilled out at home. Soaring Amongst The Clouds and Still Waters went to the University to work on a project. The rest spent the day outside...



sharpening their softball skills...



and their baseball skills...



... even Nicodemus got in on the fun. Nicodemus loves The Warrior and the love is mutual. I love this picture. This is so... them. :o)

Let me just end this by saying that, I LOVE MY FAMILY! I'm so very blessed!!! Thank you Lord for blessing me beyond my wildest dreams... my cup runneth over...